


The Bonds We Weave

by JadeVine



Category: Naruto
Genre: Additional Missions, Additional Team 7 Member, Advanced Nature Transformations are no Bloodline, Alternate Canon, Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bonding, Canon Related, Canon Rewrite, Character Death, Character Development, Chuunin Exams, Civilian Sakura, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Developing Friendships, F/M, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Naruto Namikaze - Freeform, No Kaguya, No prophecy, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Slow Paced, Team as Family, Wave arc, genin days, longfic, original character villain - Freeform, trying to make characters more likable without them being ooc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2020-10-14 15:04:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 118,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20602790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeVine/pseuds/JadeVine
Summary: The world of the shinobi is a cruel one. So cruel that even children are trained to fight battles of life and death. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Naho are part of Team 7 and strive to become well-respected shinobi. But there is something they secretly desire even more, something they themselves are not even aware of. A family and place to call home. But in a world like this, a family is hard to keep alive.Follows the lives of team 7 and their quest to find strength, revenge and recognition. But most importantly, to find a family.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hi there :)
> 
> This is an AU. I made quite a few smaller and bigger changes, but most of them will only really become apparent later on in the story. This is my first fanfiction actually, and I'm afraid the beginning has quite a bit of retelling of canon (oopsie!) but it gets better later on.
> 
> The AU is kind of based on how I imagined the world of Naruto to be during Part 1 Naruto. So a bit of a different background on what chakra actually is and how it works. Different take on the Jinchuuriki and their tailed beasts. And a different final villain (no Kaguya). I want the world to feel a bit more realistic and less magical-ninja later on. If anything, jutsu are rather nerfed than buffed.
> 
> The story follows canon-events and adds some more time in between forming team 7, the wave arc and the Chuunin exams. I'm planning on doing Shippuuden after this, and that's where the true changes will come in.
> 
> Some examples for general changes:
> 
> \- Bloodlines. Not really relevant to the plot so far, but combined nature transformations are no longer bloodlines, anyone could learn them with hard work. Bloodlines still exist, but only include stuff like the Sharingan (bloodlines basically change/improve parts of your body, e.g. eyes).
> 
> \- Story focuses on Team 7, but Naruto isn't the sole main character anymore. I do want other characters to have their moments to shine too, more than just one fight.
> 
> \- Nerfed sharingan and other jutsu. I don't enjoy writing fights with people smashing mountains and stuff, so I'm trying to keep it a bit more "real".
> 
> \- Sharingan and Byakugan have slightly different abilities. Sharingan can't copy jutsu anymore (was barely used in canon anyway and was kind of OP).
> 
> \- A bit darker/serious than canon. Character Death possible, even if they didn't die in canon.
> 
> \- Jinchuuriki are more important. Tailed beasts have been around for hundreds of years, and have for hundreds of years been collected by the strong clans to harvest their strength. In this AU, both Madara and Hashirama used to be Jinchuuriki (not really important to the plot, but it's my take on why they were such legendary shinobi).
> 
> \- Quite a bit of original characters, one is part of main cast.
> 
> Warning: Depiction of violence and psychological trauma. Nothing too explicit though.

Every night, when little Naruto goes to sleep to dream of a happy life with lots of ramen and parents to eat them with, he dreams of death and torture instead. Those are the dreams his demon sends him. It's the only way they ever communicate, though Naruto is unaware they are communicating at all.

“Sleep well, Naruto,” his teacher Miako said. Naruto could see her two children peeking past her legs into his room. She softly pushed them away from the door. Naruto had only talked to them once, and Miako-sensei had made sure it was a very short talk.

“Can you read the Tale of the Nine Sages to us today?” Naruto heard Yumi ask her mother as she closed the door to Naruto’s room. Miako read a bedtime story to her children every evening, Naruto knew. It was one of the reasons he liked her so much. Also because she was one of the few people who were actually nice to him, even if she never allowed her children to talk to him. She was his nicest teacher yet. Deep inside, Naruto wished she would read a bedtime story to him too. And even deeper inside, he sometimes wished she were his mother.

Naruto was proud of his own parents – they were heroes that saved the village from destruction six years ago. But they were also dead heroes. Heroes who died to protect the village. They had never been able to read even one bedtime story to him. Instead, all his parents ever gave to him were nightmares. Nightmares and a demon.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he could see the two people dying again. He knew those two people were his parents, though no one had ever showed him a picture of them. As soon as the sun rays would touch his face, his parents’ faces would stay in his dream and Naruto would forget about them again. But in his dreams, they always reappeared, and they always died in the same way. Nonetheless, each night Naruto fought anew to save them, though he had managed not once. He tried again that night. His body wouldn’t move, even as he was screaming at the red-haired woman to run, to not give her life for his again. But no voice ever left his mouth either. All he got to do was watch, and watch. Again, and again. The taste of blood spread in his mouth. He bit his lips until they started bleeding. He could feel the pain, but he couldn’t stop his parents’ deaths.

* * *

Naruto woke up, but the taste of blood in his mouth stayed. He opened his eyes to see people standing around his bed. Or was it his bed? He looked around, realising he didn’t recognise the room. This wasn’t the room he’d gone to sleep in.

“Where am I?” he asked the masked Shinobi watching him. None of them answered. He wanted to get up, but pain spread through him.

“What happened?” he tried again, but there was still no answer. Was he attacked? He pulled up his pyjama to find the source of the pain, but there was no visible wound on his belly. The pain came from deep inside. 

People were fighting next door, their voices barely audible.

“We strengthened the seal. An outbreak like this shouldn’t happen again.” It was a familiar voice to Naruto, the Third Hokage. His voice was fairly calm as it always was, but the person talking to him was much more enraged.

“I don’t care,” she screamed back at the Lord Hokage. “I’m done teaching him. He truly is an unpredictable monster!” Naruto realised Miako-sensei was talking about him. “It is irresponsible of you to let him run around the village as he pleases. He is dangerous.”

One of the masked people watching Naruto suddenly vanished through the door and the voices in the other room fell silent. It took a while until the Hokage entered the room, but Naruto’s teacher wasn’t with him.

“What happened? Where is Miako-sensei?” Naruto asked again.

“I’m afraid there was an accident,” the Hokage started explaining. “Miako thus can’t continue teaching you.”

The Hokage wanted to continue, but Naruto interrupted him. “What accident? What happened?”

“Miako’s children,” he continued after a short pause, “they died.”

Naruto sat up despite the pain in his stomach. “Why? How?”

The Hokage remained calm. “You shouldn’t worry yourself with it. It was an accident, and there is nothing we can do about it now. However, I’m sure you understand that Miako-sensei is grieving and very sad right now. You should leave her to herself for a while. You understand that, Naruto? Keep away from her.”

Naruto nodded, but he didn’t understand anything at all.

“This is your new room. Do you like it?” The Hokage pointed at the room around him.

“Is this my new sensei’s house?” He looked around. There wasn’t much inside the room except for a bed and a closet, and it didn’t look all that different from his former rooms.

“No, this is all yours, Naruto. You are old enough to live on your own now. I will come by to check up on you.” The Hokage could see that Naruto wasn’t sure whether he liked the idea of living on his own, so he added, “There won’t be anyone telling you when to go to bed or what to eat. I trust you can take care of yourself now or do you still need an adult to look after you?”

“What? No, of course not. I can look after myself, ya better believe that,” Naruto said instantly.

The Hokage smiled at him and they all left the little boy alone in his new home, alone to care for himself.

Naruto’s nightmares never came back again after that day.

* * *

The first few days Naruto was proud to be given a chance to prove himself. His head was set on showing the Hokage and everyone else that he was an adult and didn’t need anyone to take care of him. But life soon became more boring than it had ever been. When he had first wished to be told a bedtime story once in his life, he now wished for someone to simply tell him goodnight in the evening. At the Academy, his classmates ignored him. When he walked down the streets, the adults would look away and keep their distance. And when he came home, there was no one there to welcome him back.

So one day, Naruto decided it was time to see Miako-sensei again. He went to the flower shop in the morning. The Academy was a waste of Naruto’s time anyway, so he would spend his time better going to Miako-sensei’s house and making sure she was doing alright. The woman in the flower shop looked like she was about to hide behind the counter as Naruto entered. Her eyes followed the young boy’s every move.

“Hey, auntie,” Naruto finally said while taking out his wallet. “Can you give me the nicest flowers that I can have for this money?” Naruto showed her a few coins; it was all his wallet had to offer.

“That’s not enough to buy anything here. Just leave again,” the woman snapped at him.

“Huh? But I have all these coins. This really isn’t enough to buy even one flower? Here, what about this one?” Naruto grabbed a single flower.

“You know what, you can have that one for free. Now just leave.” She shooed Naruto out of the shop and locked the door behind him.

Naruto stared at the woman as she closed the blinds of the shop, the one flower in his hand. But one flower wasn’t enough for Miako. He walked down the road, wondering where he was supposed to get more flowers now that the shop was closed. A flowerbed in a garden caught his attention. It clearly belonged to some of the villagers, but that didn’t keep Naruto from jumping over the small fence and picking the various coloured flowers. He had a smile on his face as he looked at his growing bouquet. Miako would love it, he was sure. She loved colourful things.

People passing by threw dark glances at Naruto, but no one approached him nor said a word to him. He could hear some men talking, saying that someone ought to get the Hokage as Naruto was clearly stealing from the village.

But he didn’t care. He picked his flowers and ran off to Miako-sensei’s house.

He knocked once, and twice. But no one opened the door. He knocked a third time, but when there was again no answer, he decided to take the spare key Miako kept in one of the flowerpots and go inside. He could always leave the flowers on the table. He stepped inside, took off his shoes as Miako always told him to, and ran into the living room.

The flowers scattered on the floor as Naruto froze in the doorway. He stared inside the room in disbelief. A lifeless body hung in the middle of the room.

“Miako-sensei!” Naruto yelled as he ran at her and tried his best to release some pressure from the rope by pulling her legs upwards. Her skin was cold. Naruto realised he was too small to do anything, so he ran back out on the streets. He called for help, begged people to help his teacher. But the louder he screamed, the further away they went. No one wanted to help him. His behaviour scared them.

Two ANBU members eventually appeared next to Naruto, who was still sitting in front of Miako’s door, crying. They weren’t there to help Miako. They were to make sure Naruto wasn’t losing his mind.

* * *

There was a festival going on in the village. Lanterns lit the streets and food stalls sold all sorts of delicacies. On any other day Naruto would have played some pranks on the villagers to show them he was enjoying himself as well, but there was no joy at all left in him.

He walked down the street with his eyes fixated on the ground, ignoring the people around him as they ignored him. Yet their voices and laughs still resonated in his ears – the children that happily giggled as their parents bought them sweets, friends telling jokes to each other, as well as the whispers that were directed at him. Naruto turned into a quieter side street to get away from all the people. He wasn’t in the mood of festivities. He wanted to be alone, which wasn’t hard to accomplish as everyone avoided him anyway. He kicked stones away that lay on his way, wondering if they could feel his frustration.

Naruto only stopped when he heard voices nearby. He followed them until he arrived at a small park and saw three guys a bit older than him standing around a girl. One of the guys pushed her away and grabbed the stuffed animal she was holding.

“Guess you aren’t as big of an Uchiha as Sasuke, huh?”

“I heard they don’t even let her join the Academy,” another boy said, and they all laughed at her.

The girl tried to get her stuffed toy back, but the boy held it up, out of her reach.

“What’s up, little Uchiha baby? Are you going to cry?”

Naruto ran at them and pushed the guy with the toy to the ground. “Why don’t you pick on someone who’s as tall as you?” he yelled while pinning him to the ground. Naruto was even smaller than the girl, but that fact did not dissuade him from picking a fight with them. On the contrary, this was just the right situation to give free rein to all the rage inside him. “Give the toy back to her and apologise.”

“What’s your problem? Get away from him!” Another boy started pulling Naruto’s hair to get him off his friend. It didn’t take long for all to escalate and the boys started exchanging punches with each other. Naruto dealt some blows himself, but was mostly on the receiving end, fighting alone against three guys taller than him.

The girl watched with big eyes as the three friends teamed up on Naruto. “Stop it, please,” she said in a low voice, but the boys didn’t even hear her.

Naruto was laying on the ground now and they started kicking at him.

“Stop it!” She tried to grab one of the guys to pull him away, but she was lacking the strength.

He simply shook her off again and pushed her back. The girl fell back onto the ground. The three boys now made fun of the blond-haired boy instead of her.

She pressed her lips together as tears filled her eyes. Slamming her fists to the ground she got up again. “Leave him alone, you stupid potato heads! Don’t team up on others like you are complete morons!” she screamed at their backs with everything her voice had to offer. When they still didn’t pay any attention to her, she lunged out and kicked one of them right between the legs, where she’d been told it hurt most. Almost instantly her victim stopped all his movements and crouched down in pain. There was a moment of silence as the other two looked at their friend in confusion.

He eventually got up again and turned around to the little girl. “You little bitch.” He punched her in the face with all his strength.

“Dude, you really punched a girl,” one of his friend’s said quietly.

The girl sat on the floor and carefully touched her lips. Her eyes widened as she looked at the blood on her fingers.

“She kicked me!” The other boy tried defending himself.

Naruto used the distraction to stand up again. His face looked much worse than the girls, but that was nothing he cared about. “You guys better leave her alone now or I’ll beat you up seriously,” he told them. There really wasn’t any reason for him to believe that he could win against three guys older than him, but that wouldn’t keep him from trying.

Fortunately, one of them seemed to have a sudden realisation. “What a minute,” he said, staring at Naruto with sudden fear in his eyes. “Isn’t that the demon child?” He pointed at Naruto.

The other two now stared at Naruto in silence too. It was the first time they truly looked at the person the had just beat up.

Naruto clenched his fist. “I’m no demon child.” He ran at the boy and knocked him over again. “I’m Naruto Namikaze.” He punched his face. “I’m the Fourth Hokage’s son.” He punched him again, and again. “And I’m going to be Hokage one day myself!”

The others eventually pulled Naruto away from their friend, whose nose was bleeding heavily already. “You are not a Hokage’s son. You are a stupid monster,” one of them screamed at him before all three ran away.

Naruto was still sitting on the ground. There was blood on his fist, but it wasn’t his own. He glanced at the girl he wanted to help, but immediately looked away again as he realised that she too stared at him with tears building up inside her eyes. He expected her to run away from him crying any moment. It wouldn’t have been the first time. All the more surprising it was for him, when she suddenly kneeled down next to him and her face appeared in front of his.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “Your face is all beaten up because of me.” Tears started to run down her red cheeks, and she tried to sniff them back up again.

It took Naruto a moment to realise that she wasn’t crying because she was scared of him. “Oh, it’s nothing.” He laughed, scratching his head. “Just some scratches and bruises, ya know. No need to cry.”

She wished a tear away and offered him her hand to help him get up.

Naruto took her hand, carefully, scared that she might run away after all if he squeezed too tightly. He was just standing on two feet again, when suddenly, someone pulled at him once again from behind. Naruto never expected yet another attack, so he lost balance and fell down straight to the ground again.

“What did you do to my little sister?” a boy his age screamed at him, grabbing him by the collar. But this time, Naruto recognised the face on top of him. It was his classmates from the Academy, Sasuke, ready to give his face yet another punch.

“Stop, don’t punch him, please. He only tried to help me.” The girl stepped in immediately.

“Get off me.” Naruto tried his best to push him away. He was done being pinned to the ground and beaten up, especially by someone like Sasuke. He couldn’t stand that guy, with all his perfect grades and being called a genius by everyone. But Sasuke didn’t let go at all and Naruto, despite all his efforts, couldn’t free himself from his grip. 

“Why are you bleeding?” he asked the girl, then immediately looked back down at Naruto. “If you hurt her, I swear I will…”

“I told you, it wasn’t him.” She pulled at Sasuke’s arm again and he let himself get pulled off by her. “There were three guys picking on me. He stepped in to help me.”

Sasuke gave Naruto a long and gloomy look, which made Naruto consider punching his classmate just in case to get the first strike on him.

Naruto’s arms instantly moved to his face to cover it as soon as Sasuke’s right hand moved. He peeked past his arms, irritated, as he realised Sasuke wasn’t going to punch him after all. Instead, he offered Naruto his hand like his sister had done before.

“Thank you,” the Uchiha boy said as he helped Naruto up from the ground. “For protecting my little sister.”

Naruto just stared back at Sasuke with his mouth half open. If his face hadn’t hurt so much, he would have thought he was still asleep. “It was nothing,” he eventually said, but his cheeks blushed a bit. He had never thought Sasuke would be someone to talk to him, yet alone be thankful.

“Who were those guys?” Sasuke picked up the stuffed toy still lying on the ground and gave it back to his sister.

“They said they knew you from the Academy. I guess they didn’t like you very much,” the little girl laughed at her brother. She threw herself onto Sasuke’s back and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You need to teach me some Ninjutsu, brother. Please. Pretty please,” she started begging. “Next time I’ll beat them up all on my own.”

A weird feeling spread in Naruto as he watched them, one he couldn’t quiet name. The girl let go of her brother again and turned back to Naruto with a bright smile on her lips.

“You should visit us tomorrow. I’ll ask Sasuke’s mom to make some mochi for us. Do you like mochi?”

“You shouldn’t just invite people over. You got to ask mom first,” Sasuke intervened. “Also, tomorrow is another day of academy. I can’t miss that, so I’ll be gone until the evening. Naruto probably shouldn’t miss it either.”

Every little excitement that had built up in Naruto at the thought of being invited to someone’s house and eating homemade mochi died at an instant as he listened to Sasuke. “I don’t need to go to the Academy if I don’t want to. I’m all grown up and can decide for myself where I want to go,” Naruto said, crossing his arms in front of him.

The two Uchiha children stared at him for a moment, unsure what he was talking about.

“My, then the day after tomorrow. It’s a holiday. Same place, same time. And I’ll ask auntie Mikoto if you can come over.” She smiled at Naruto again. Then she turned to Sasuke and took his hand into hers. “You’ll come too right? You barely ever play with me anymore since you joined the Academy.”

Sasuke looked annoyed, but he didn’t say no.

“What are you two doing here? We searched all over the place for you.” Two other Uchiha with the characteristic black hair and black eyes approached. They were Sasuke’s mother and older brother.

“Brother Itachi!” The girl was glad to see him and instantly ran to him to give him a hug.

“Are you bleeding?” Mikoto asked, taking the girls chin in her hand to inspect her face. “What happened?” Her eyes eventually fell on Naruto, who already straightened himself to receive the blame once again. But Mikoto patiently listened to the little girl’s story. She nodded, walked over to Naruto, and kneeled down to him. “You are Naruto, right? You sure have grown up a lot.” There was a warm smile on her lips. “Thank you for your help today.” She pressed a soft kiss on his forehead.

A warmth spread through Naruto’s whole body, and for the first time in his life, he was speechless.

“Auntie Mikoto, I invited Naruto over to play. He can come, right?” 

There was a short glimpse of surprise and doubt in her eyes, which was eventually overshadowed by her smile once more. “Of course,” she said. “See you soon, Naruto.” She patted his head before she turned back around to her children and left with them.

“See you, Naruto. Don’t forget it or you’ll miss out on aunt Mikoto’s tasty mochi.” The little Uchiha girl waved at him before she too turned away from him for good.

Naruto stood there for a moment to look after them. He watched as the girl showed her big brother her busted lip and told him more of her adventure with a smile on her face. He watched as Itachi patted the girl on the head, just like Sasuke’s mother had patted his head, and watch him give her a piggyback ride. He watched as Sasuke took his mother’s and Itachi’s hand and eagerly told them his own stories. Naruto watched as the four separate people became one entity, one family, that walked out of the darkness back towards the lights of the festival, a smile on all of their faces. He touched his forehead. He could still feel the warmth of her lips. This had been the first time anyone had ever kissed his forehead. It was a feeling he would never forget, a feeling he wanted desperately to experience again.

* * *

Naruto looked forward to meeting the Uchiha girl again, whose name he realised he’d never asked. He even hoped Sasuke would join as well, though he had ignored him like he usually did the next day in the Academy. Still, Naruto wore a big smile on his face until the day was finally there.

He paced up and down his room. Was there anything he was expected to bring? Food? Toys? But a look at his desk and cupboard told him he didn’t own anything he could bring anyways. So he made sure his teeth were brushed and his face all cleaned up and left his flat to run to the same spot he had met them before. He was early and no one was there yet. A swing hung down from one of the trees in the little park. Naruto sat down on it and observed the ways leading to the park. His heart skipped a beat whenever someone approached, and another whenever he realised that it wasn’t his newly found friends.

Time passed, way past the appointed meeting time. But there was still no sign of the two Uchiha. Naruto didn’t want to give up on them. If there was the smallest chance they would still come, he would wait. He would wait all night long if he had to. But they never came.

* * *

Naruto was ready to pick a fight with Sasuke the next day at the Academy. Anger boiled inside of him and Sasuke would get to feel all of it. But Sasuke wasn’t there.

“Have you heard the news about the Uchiha clan?” Naruto heard two teachers talking on the hallway.

“Yes, I can’t believe they’ve all been murdered in just one night.”

“That one boy survived though. He’s here at the Academy too. Sasuke, right?”

“Yes. But his brother was the one to turn crazy and slaughter them all. Even his own parents. Can you imagine?”

“I’m not even that surprised. That whole clan has always been shady and crazy. It was a matter of time until something like this happened. How ironic it was one of their own who brought their downfall.” They both laughed as they walked away.

Naruto didn’t return to class after he overheard their conversation. Instead, he stormed out of the building and towards the Uchiha quarters. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. He needed to know the truth.

The Uchiha quarters were built at the edge of the village, and always looked like they made up their own little town. It was one of the only places Naruto had never been to. When he arrived, the entrance had been sealed off. Two ANBU stood guard. When he looked past them, he could see more ANBU inspecting streets and houses. It was all true, he realised. They were all dead. The girl he had met two days ago was dead. Sasuke’s mother who had given him the first motherly kiss – dead as well.

Silently, Naruto turned around again and walked off. Of course, they were dead. Everyone always died. He went back to staring at the ground in front of him, kicking stones. He didn’t raise his head anymore until he spotted someone familiar out from the corner of his eye. Sasuke was sitting at a lake, watching the water. He noticed Naruto’s approach and turned to him. Their eyes met for only moment, before they both looked away again. Sasuke wasn’t going to talk to him, and neither was Naruto going to talk to Sasuke. But that short exchange between the two was enough for Naruto to realise that this boy, the one he had hated from the bottom of his heart for having the perfect grades, and the perfect family, with the perfect little sister, was suddenly like him. He was alone. He had lost everyone.


	2. Graduation

Sakura handed her father her graduation scroll, observing any sort of emotion his face would show. There wasn’t a lot. He faked a short smile that was accompanied by a slight frown.

“Congratulations, my daughter,” he said and gave it back to her. “You are really a smart one, we are proud.” His smile grew more sincere, and Sakura’s eyes were about to light up from her father’s praise. “A job at the library would be really well suited for you. What do you say? Or maybe you could work at the hospital.”

Sakura frowned. “I told you I’m signing up as a Genin. I want to become a shinobi.”

“The life of a ninja is not the right life for a cute girl like you.”

Her mother came over too. She had just finished talking to some parents of Sakura’s classmates. They all stood in the yard of the Academy together, eating cake and drinking tea. Other families were celebrating, proudly hugging their children with a smile on their faces.

“I’m not a cute girl,” Sakura snapped before her mother could change the topic. “At least that’s not all I am.”

“That boy over there.” Her mother pointed at Naruto, who was sitting alone on a swing, watching the celebration with sad eyes. “He didn’t pass, did he?”

“Naruto? No, of course not. He can barely use the Clone Jutsu. Do you want me to show it to you? I managed two perfect clones today.”

“Thank god.” Her mother’s eyes were still on Naruto. “At least we don’t have to be worried about you being teamed up with that boy.”

“I can’t believe the Hokage actually allowed him to join the Academy. How careless,” her father added.

Sakura grumbled, feeling utterly invisible. Her gaze strayed to the other students, hoping she would find Sasuke somewhere. She saw Ino instead, her former best friend. Her parents were just giving her a little gift to celebrate her graduation. It was a kunai with a dried flower attached to it as a talisman.

“How stupid,” Sakura mumbled to herself. “That’s a weapon. Who in their right mind would put accessory on it?” To her disappointment, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

“What are you staring at?” She suddenly heard Naruto yell behind her. He was pointing his fingers at Sakura’s mother, who almost dropped her piece of cake. “Who cares if I pass this stupid test? Once I’m Hokage no one will care about stupid tests at the Academy. Just you all wait!” With these words, Naruto ran off.

“What did you do, mum?” Sakura asked her mother, hoping it had been nothing embarrassing.

“Me? I didn’t to anything. I was only talking to your father about that boy and suddenly he completely snapped.”

“I told you not to look at him, Mebuki. He is dangerous,” her father warned. “I’m glad our daughter is no longer in the same class as him.”

“Naruto is not dangerous.” Sakura crossed her arms. “How could someone who doesn’t even know how to use the Clone Jutsu be dangerous? I’m a way better shinobi myself. Which is why _I _passed, and he didn’t.” Sakura couldn’t believe she ended up explaining to her parents why she was a better student than Naruto. No one who had even a bit of knowledge of ninja arts would believe Naruto was talented in any way nor that he would pose any threat at all. Yet her parents exchanged doubting looks and kept silence. Sakura was about to open her mouth to further convince them, when she heard Naruto’s voice once again.

“Congratulations everyone!” She heard from above, but before she could look up, water poured down at her, leaving her completely soaked.

Naruto was standing on top of the roof with three empty buckets, laughing. Sakura yelled at him, and so did her other classmates, while their parents looked at each other in shock. Naruto had managed to hit almost everyone with water. He laughed down at them, seemingly satisfied.

“You little…” Sakura was about to jump after him, but her father grabbed her wrist.

“That’s it. We are going home.”

“But dad…”

“I’ve seen enough of this Academy. We can talk more about your future plans at home.” Her father turned around and left with her mother.

Sakura clenched her fist, wishing she could punch the hell out of Naruto for ruining her day further. “Idiot,” she mumbled to herself and hurried after her parents.

* * *

The Jounin that were to be the team leaders of the new Genin squads had gathered in the Hokage building. They were the elite of any hidden shinobi village. The only one who stood above them in rank was the Hokage himself. Kakashi was one of those Jounin. He wasn’t particularly interested in the work of a teacher, but he never complained when the Hokage had assigned him yet another Genin squad. He carefully checked the background sheets of his new students.

“How do you like your team, Kakashi?” Kurenai slightly glanced at him before looking back at her own background sheets. A content smile was on her face.

“Well, I got the Uchiha boy and two girls from civilian families.”

“Two civilian children on the same team? That’s unusual.” She turned her attention back to Kakashi’s students, wondering who they were.

“Maybe the old man wanted to make sure they’ll go back to the Academy for another year, so he assigned them both to Kakashi.” Asuma laughed. The three of them had graduated from the Academy together over 10 years ago, though Kakashi was younger than the other two.

Kurenai nudged Asuma with her elbow, telling him to stop laughing at his own stupid jokes.

“I know that for most of you, this is not the first time becoming a teacher for the new Genin,” the Hokage continued his speech when everyone had read through the information on their new students. He was an old man, one who’d already celebrated his retirement. But with the death of his successor, the village called for him to come back. “I’ll say this again to remind you all that our children are our future. And those Genin might some day become Jounin like you. They are going to inherit our wills, the will of our village. You will be their teacher as well as their leader. This is an opportunity for all of you to leave a lasting impression on this next generation, and maybe even pass down your own will.” The Jounin listened quietly to their leader’s speech. He wore the white Hokage robes. No one in the room could remember the last time they’d seen him wear anything else. “I hope you all can bring the best out of them.” His speech wasn’t finished, yet he suddenly stopped.

Kakashi only ever noticed a small breeze coming from the opened window before a whitehaired man appeared next to the Hokage out of thin air. Some Jounin intuitively grabbed Kunai from their pockets, readying themselves to fight off the potential threat to their Hokage.

“You are early, Jiraiya. Our meeting was supposed to be tomorrow,” the Hokage said in a calm voice.

Some of the younger Jounin looked at Jiraiya with open mouths, before putting back their weapons and apologising vigorously. Kakashi never moved a muscle. Jiraiya was no enemy – on the contrary, some would argue he was Konoha’s strongest ally, their strongest shinobi, though he had been away on a secret mission for many years.

Jiraiya laughed and waved at the group of Jounin like a superstar. Then his smile vanished in an instant as he turned back towards the Hokage. “I was nearby and heard that the final Acadamy exams were concluded. I also heard that Naruto Namikaze failed for the third time.”

The Hokage turned back to the Jounin. “If there are no further questions, I would like to conclude this meeting. I wish you all the best with your new squads and I am hoping all of you manage to develop a lot of new talent in this next generation of shinobi.” The Third Hokage ended the meeting. The Jounin all showed their respect by bowing their heads and left the room, only the Hokage and Jiraiya stayed behind.

“Why do you think Master Jiraiya is here?” Kurenai whispered on the way out.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Asuma said. He lit a new cigarette as soon as they stepped outside. “The Fourth Hokage’s son failed miserably as a vessel for the Kyuubi. Someone like Jiraiya won’t accept that fact.” He took a deep puff. “That little brat ran around with paint the other day and messed up houses. Of course, my house was one of them. I was scrubbing for hours. Can’t say I regret he didn’t make it. I was never given special treatment even though the old man’s my father.”

“Asuma, stop.” Kurenai softly slapped his arm. She then turned to Kakashi, wondering what he thought of Naruto, but he was already gone. She spotted him further down the road, wandering off. She sighed. “That guy… He didn’t even say bye.”

“Guess it’s just you and me.” Asuma smiled at her with his cigarette tucked between his teeth. “Should we grab some food together?”

“As colleagues, yes.”

“You know the rules though. If it’s no date, you gotta pay for yourself.”

“I’m well aware of that rule. I came up with it after all.” She turned away from him, wondering where they should go for lunch. “Should we ask Kakashi too?”

“Heh, try. He won’t come anyway.” 

* * *

Jiraiya stood by the window, arms crossed. “You let Naruto fail the Academy exams three times in a row.”

“He was the one who failed in two of the three categories. Taijutsu was the only one he passed. There is nothing we could do about it.”

“You can’t forbid the boy to become a shinobi. He is the Fourth’s son. Minato would turn over in his grave.”

“Those are the rules. We can’t just change them for the son of a Hokage.” The Hokage’s voice remained calm.

“Rules.” Jiraiya laughed. “Don’t tell me there aren’t exceptions to every rule. “Naruto has the potential to become the strongest shinobi this village has ever seen. And you are telling me you won’t even give him a chance?”

“We gave him enough chances. You think we never tried? He is dangerous, Jiraiya. You weren’t here to see it. I would prefer it myself if he was able to control the Kyuubi. But he is not. And at this rate, it is better for everyone if he does not become a shinobi.”

“I’ll train him myself if you won’t do it.”

“You know that’s not possible. Your mission is too important to abandon now.”

“Then I’ll stay in Konoha for a week and teach him Ninjutsu. If he manages to pass one more category, you will let the third slide. I failed the written test too back then and look how I turned out.” He pointed a thumb at himself and showed the Hokage a confident grin.

“We already arranged the three-man squads and assigned their Jounin leaders. Tomorrow, they will start their life as Genin.”

“I’ve heard four-man squads are quite successful too. You should know best, Sarutobi-sensei.”

Both men exchanged a look. Neither shied away from locking eyes on the other. “I’ll give you until tomorrow. Tomorrow 8 am, I want to see Naruto use the Clone Jutsu and produce clones of himself. Also, you will personally go to Kakashi Hatake and ask him if he’d be willing to take Naruto as an additional member of his team. If he refuses, then I don’t care if Naruto produces twenty clones tomorrow, he will not become a Genin. Kakashi is the only Jounin leader this year suitable to guide Naruto.”

A confident grin reappeared on Jiraiya’s lips. “Tomorrow at 8 am. Naruto and I will be here.” He left to find Kakashi. The Hokage was left behind. He was composed on the outside, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes, doubt if this decision had been the right one. But there was another feeling inside of him, an even more dangerous one. Hope.

* * *

Kakashi didn’t manage to get far before Jiraiya appeared in front of him. There was no surprise visible on his face. Emotions rarely made their way onto Kakashi’s face in general, and if they did, they were usually hidden behind a mask he wore day and night. It covered the lower half of his face and his Konoha headband additionally hung over his left eye, leaving only his right eye visible.

“I hear you are going to be a squad leader for the new Genin,” Jiraiya started the conversation. He couldn’t hold back a victorious smirk. “Wouldn’t it be great if you had one more student on your squad?”

“Are we talking about Naruto?”

Jiraiya nodded enthusiastically. “I’m sure Minato would be proud if you were his teacher.”

“Well, he’s dead, so we’ll never know,” Kakashi casually said and walked past Jiraiya. 

“Wait, wait.” Jiraiya trotted after him and blocked his way once more. “Don’t you want the best for Naruto? Here, I’ll give you a present if you are willing to teach him.” He opened his bag and fumbled around in it. “Being the leader of a four-man squad is lots of fun, I can vouch for that.” His hand finally found something suitable and pulled it out. It was an orange book. Jiraiya signed the first page and handed it to Kakashi. “Here, a copy of my bestselling book, signed by the one and only Toad Sage, Jiraiya the Great.” He posed in front of Kakashi, who just stared at him with a blank face.

“Icha Icha Paradise?” Kakashi turned the book around to read its description. A slight blush appeared on the visible part of his face.

“This is a must-read. “Jiraiya came closer to Kakashi to whisper in his ear. “And it will teach you all you need to know about the other sex. I’ve spent years doing research for this masterpiece.”

Kakashi cleared his throat. “Thanks, but I don’t think I have a need for this.” He gave the book back. “But I don’t care if I have three or four students. Chances are he won’t pass my aptitude test anyway, so he’s free to try.”

Jiraiya clapped him on the shoulder, a smirk on his face again. “Great, great. But here, I even wrote an inscription for you, so you have to keep the book.” Jiraiya walked off, happy he’d not only found a teacher for Naruto, but a new reader for his books too.

Kakashi glanced after him, and then down at the book. He opened the first page and continued on his way. If he was already carrying it around, he might as well give it a try, he figured.


	3. One Last Chance

Naruto sat on a roof close to the Hokage Rock. It was an immense monument featuring all the faces of the previous and current Hokage. They were carved into a mountain overlooking the village. Naruto stared at the face of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, his father. This stupid rock face was the only picture he had of his father. Naruto wanted to see his own face next to him one day. But to become a Hokage, he would have to pass the Academy exams first. He punched the chimney next to him, cursing his own inability to perform easy jutsu, no matter how hard he tried.

"Naruto," he suddenly heard a voice behind him. A weird man stood on top of the roof not far away and waved at him. He had long white hair and looked like a very old man to Naruto. Not as old as the Third Hokage, but still old.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked. His eyes narrowed as he wondered if he had seen this man somewhere before. Naruto remembered before he could introduce himself. "You are that weird pervert!" Naruto jumped up and pointed a finger at him.

"Now, now. Don't yell something like that. I have a reputation here."

"What? A pervy reputation? I remember your weird white hair and those warts on your nose. You followed me around once and spied on me! And when I was home you suddenly appeared next to me and started harassing Miako-sensei." The thought of his former teacher saddened Naruto.

"I didn't harass her. We were having a conversation."

"Whatever, old man. Just stay away from me." Naruto jumped off the roof.

Jiraiya shouted after him, but the boy was gone. He jumped down too and followed Naruto.

"Stop following me, perv!" Naruto yelled back when he saw him.

People turned around and stared at Jiraiya. Some women started whispering behind his back, and he decided it was best to walk into the opposite direction for now.

Jiraiya sighed. The hard part hadn't even started yet, and still, Naruto was already causing trouble. An idea suddenly crossed Jiraiya's mind when he saw Naruto's Academy teacher walk down the street. Jiraiya formed a short sign and suddenly, his looks transformed into those of Iruka, Naruto's teacher. Smiling, he left to find Naruto again.

Jiraiya found Naruto at the Academy, where he was busy throwing tomatoes at its windows.

"Naruto," he tried again, making sure his voice sounded like Iruka's.

Naruto gave a jump and dropped the bag of tomatoes. "Iruka-sensei, I thought you were home already."

"Yes, I came back here because I have to talk to you."

Naruto instantly rolled his eyes and turned away. "You don't have to remind me again that I failed. Don't you have anything else to do?"

"Actually, I'm here to tell you that I talked to the Hokage and he is willing to give you one more chance."

"What?" Naruto's eyes lit up instantly as he stared at the man he thought to be his teacher. "So you are not here to scold me?"

"No, I'm here to teach you the Clone Jutsu. If you can do it by tomorrow 8 am, you pass the exam."

Naruto's smile lessened a bit. "I tried learning that one for years. I'm not sure one more night will do."

"Not with that attitude, boy." Jiraiya gave him a good pat on the back that almost knocked Naruto over.

"You are behaving weirdly today, Iruka-sensei. You haven't even scolded me yet for throwing tomatoes at your window."

Jiraiya laughed. "Yeah, I've seen better pranks than that."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the sudden strange behaviour of his teacher, but eventually his smile reappeared, and he raised his fist into the air. "Alright, let's do this. My way to become Hokage won't end here."

Jiraiya smiled a proud smile at the boy's enthusiasm. But the smile slowly vanished the longer he watched him fail attempt after attempt at producing a clone of himself. He really was incapable. It took a certain amount of chakra combined with a bit of chakra control to form a visual illusion of oneself. Those were the basics to learn any Ninjutsu. Naruto's abilities were far from being good enough to become a Genin. But Jiraiya knew that this wasn't Naruto's fault. It was the fault of the seal that the Third Hokage had put on him to lock the chakra of the Ninetails away as much as possible. That's way he couldn't give up on the boy, especially not when Naruto wasn't going to give up on himself either. The little blond-haired boy tried again and again and overcame failure after failure. When the sun set at the horizon, Jiraiya went as far as considering if it was best to remove the seal. It was no guarantee that Naruto could learn the Jutsu if the outer seal was removed. The chakra flow in his body would change drastically, and Naruto would only have one night left to get used to the new flow. And of course, removing the seal involved further risk. Risks the Hokage had not been willing to take, so Jiraiya knew it was no option. At least not for now. Another idea crossed his mind.

"You know, Naruto. I just thought of a much better jutsu I could teach you. The Hokage would be even more impressed by that one. And I think it might be much easier to learn for you."

"Really? Which one? Spitting fireballs? Explosions?" Naruto, despite all the failed attempts so far, still managed to be excited.

"No, it's an advanced form of the Clone Jutsu."

"Eh? Why should it be easier if it's an advanced form? I can't even do the basics yet."

"It's an advanced form because it uses up a lot more chakra to create better clones that aren't just a portrayal of your outward appearance, but also of your inner self. They can even think for themselves and act accordingly." Naruto opened his mouth in awe. "But the upside is that you can't put too much chakra into them. On the contrary, the more the better for the clones. And your problem is that you have too much chakra and are lacking the control over it to reduce its amount."

"Then how do I do it? Teach me."

"Ah well, how do I explain that? I never actually taught this one, people usually learn it from a scroll." Jiraiya scratched his head, trying to think back many, many years to when he first learned the jutsu. "You know, why don't you go to the Hokage office and just get that scroll? It has everything you need to know to master it on it. It's a green one and it should say 'Shadow Clone Jutsu' on it."

"I've never been in the Hokage office. Should I ask the old grandpa for it?"

"'Old grandpa'? I'm sure the Lord Hokage likes you calling him that. But no, he mustn't see you take the scroll, you get that?" Jiraiya turned down to Naruto and started whispering. "The old man will believe you aren't capable of learning this advanced jutsu and refuse to give you the scroll. You have to sneak in there and snatch it."

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "Are you telling me to steal from the Hokage?"

"No, no." Jiraiya waved the thought away. "It's not stealing. It's borrowing."

* * *

Naruto looked through the windows of the office first. It was empty, so he decided to enter. The walls of the office were covered by big shelves, each holding several scrolls in different colours and sizes. He looked around until his eyes suddenly stopped on something. Near the door, a photograph of every Hokage hung on the wall. Just like the Hokage Rock, it started with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, then there was the face of his little brother, the Second Hokage, Tobirama, and finally the face of their current Hokage. He looked a lot younger on the picture than he was now. But then, the last picture showed a young man with blond hair and blue eyes. They were the exact same eyes Naruto saw every morning when he looked in the mirror. He stared at the picture of the Fourth Hokage, his mouth slowly dropping open. It was the first time Naruto saw an actual picture of his father.

"Hey, paps. You know, I'm passing my Academy exams today. Actually, right now I'm doing a special exam here." He scratched his head while smiling at the picture of his father. "One day, this will be my office and then you can watch me become the best Hokage Konoha has ever had." Naruto turned around again. He was sure he would find the right scroll and be able to learn the jutsu on it. He pulled one after the other out of shelves and read their inscriptions until he finally found the one that said, 'Shadow Clone Jutsu'.

"Got it!" he yelled in excitement.

"What have you got there?" The Hokage suddenly stood in the doorframe, eyeing the chaos in his office.

Naruto froze. He couldn't let him take the scroll away from him. This jutsu was his last chance at passing.

"Sexy Jutsu!" he yelled at the Third Hokage, and his body transformed into a female, older version of himself that wasn't wearing any clothes, at all. He blinked at the old man, blowing a kiss his way. The Hokage's eyes got bigger as he saw the naked young woman standing in his office, flirting with him. And Naruto used the distraction to run off with the scroll.

* * *

The first sunrays touched the treetops surrounding Konoha when Naruto could finally look into his own face standing in front of him. It was the perfect copy of himself.

"I finally did it," his clone yelled in excitement.

"What do you mean, _I_? I did it," Naruto replied.

"But I am you, so I did it too." The clone crossed his arms and pouted, but then turned back to Naruto with a smile on his face. "Fast, we should go to the Hokage and show him. Then we are finally Genin." His clone jumped off the roofs and was gone.

Naruto looked after him with big eyes. Iruka had told him that these clones could act on their own, but he didn't expect them to be just like a real person. He formed the sign to release the jutsu, and he could see the clone vanish again. He looked around, his eyes searching for Iruka. But his teacher was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found the weird pervert from the day before laying under a tree, sleeping. Naruto's eyes narrowed. Had this weird guy stalked him again? He tiptoed away, and broke into an excited run once he was around the corner.

"I did it," he screamed while running to Iruka's house. He didn't care if he woke the whole village up. On the contrary, he wanted everyone to know that he, Naruto Namikaze, had managed to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

His teacher lived in the same building as Ichiraku, his favourite ramen chef. They had a ramen shop on the ground floor and a flat on the upper floor of the house. Naruto didn't know in what kind of relationship Iruka and Ichiraku were, but he had often seen Iruka leave the building when he was enjoying some ramen. Ichiraku was already up and preparing broth for the day.

"Oh, Naruto. It's too early for some ramen, isn't it?" Ichiraku smiled at him.

"I'm looking for Iruka-sensei. Is he here?"

"Yes, I'm sure he's already awake too. I'll go get him."

The smell of the broth reached Naruto's nose and his stomach answered with a deep rumble. He hadn't had dinner last night and no breakfast yet either. Iruka looked surprised when he saw Naruto standing in front of his home.

"Iruka-sensei, I did it. I mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu." He grabbed his teacher's hand. "Come on, we have to show the Hokage."

Iruka stumbled after Naruto. He had no idea what the boy was talking about, but somehow Naruto ended up dragging him all the way to the Hokage building.

"Naruto, what's going on?" Iruka eventually managed to make a stand and pull his hand away from the boy.

"I learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu like you told me to. Now I can become a Genin too, right?"

"I did what?"

The Third Hokage stepped outside of the building and approached them before Iruka could question Naruto any further. It wasn't something he admitted to himself, but he'd been waiting for Naruto to show up. He knew that Jiraiya had been successful as soon as he spotted the bright smile on Naruto's face. He had the looks of his father, but the cheeky smile of his mother.

Naruto performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu as soon as he spotted the Hokage and produced a perfect clone of himself. The clone got excited together with Naruto.

The Third knew he still had the option to not let Naruto pass after all. Because he hadn't exactly learned the jutsu he told him to learn. Chakra control was still something Naruto would struggle with. Maybe even for the rest of his life. But his heart was too soft. There was no way he could look at the striking image of Minato, the Fourth Hokage, and tell that boy that he would never reach his goal and fulfil his dreams. He deserved another chance. One last chance.

"Congratulation, Naruto," the Hokage said, and handed Naruto the Konoha forehead protector. It was a blue headband with the symbol of Konoha engraved on a piece of metal that was attached to it. It was the symbol that its wearer was a shinobi of the Leaf Village.

Naruto and his clone both grabbed the headband at the same time and a small fight between the two broke out, which ended with Naruto dispelling the clone. He put it on and turned towards Iruka again. "Thank you so much, sensei." He wrapped his arms around Iruka, who was still confused at everything that was happening around him. But a short nod and a smile from the Hokage told him to play along. "Thank you so much for giving me another chance and going through the trouble to talk to the old man Hokage for me. I will never forget that." Naruto kept hugging his teacher, before slowly pulling back. "You are definitely my favourite teacher from now on. I don't care what awesome Jounin teacher I might get assigned to – you are the best." Naruto beamed with happiness. "I guess I better get some breakfast before I have to be at the Academy or I might just starve. See you!" He waved at the two before running off.

Iruka stared after him, his mouth dropped open. A strange feeling spread inside of him, a feeling he had searched for years. "I don't understand," he said, his eyes still fixed on Naruto's slowly vanishing silhouette.

"Jiraiya asked me to give Naruto one last chance. I told him to learn the Clone Jutsu. I don't know why Naruto thought it was your idea. It must be Jiraiya's doing."

Iruka closed his mouth and pressed his lips together. "It should have been me. I should have stood up for Naruto. I was his teacher after all. I don't deserve his gratitude. This feeling… This is why I became a teacher. I wanted to inspire my students. I wanted to change their lives, help them walk the right path. And now, the first time I seemed to achieve this, it wasn't even my achievement."

"We don't know if this was the right path for Naruto yet. He might be excited and grateful right now, but your initial judgement in letting him fail might turn out to have been the right one after all. And you are still a young teacher, Iruka. Naruto won't be the last student to feel grateful. So take this moment and cherish it in your heart. It will help you become a better teacher."

The Hokage left Iruka alone. The teacher couldn't quite get Naruto's smile out of his head. It had been the sincerest smile he'd ever seen.


	4. Team 7

Sakura left her home later than she usually would. There had been one final argument at breakfast on whether her parents could allow the dangerous lifestyle their daughter chose. But Sakura was no one to give in. Her former best friend Ino signed up to become a Genin, and so did Sasuke, the boy she had been in love with for years now. There was no way she would quit on all the fun. She walked down the street, when suddenly, Ino came around the corner. Their eyes met, and an immediate fire ignited in both of them.

"Good morning, billboard brow. I didn't think you would be on your way to the Academy today." Ino hurried up a bit, so she could walk in front of Sakura.

"You wished. I'm not going to lose to you anymore, Ino pig." Sakura increased her pace, slowly overtaking her. Neither of them would start running, but it was clear that their way to the Academy had become an unofficial race between the two.

They eventually arrived at their classroom door at the same time.

"See, I beat you again, Sakura," Ino said, sticking her head into the classroom.

"What do you mean? The tip of my shoe was in the room first," Sakura answered, pushing Ino aside. The girls' eyes fell on Sasuke, who was sitting at the window and resting his chin on his palms. He was looking outside, not interested in the chatter that took place around him. The shoving and pulling between Ino and Sakura got worse as they both had their eyes on the empty seat next to him.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted her with a bright smile. His cheeks blushed as he realised that the popular girl was running straight at him. He opened his arms, ready to greet her with a strong hug. This was the day his life would finally change. He was a shinobi now and Sakura had to be impressed by his Konoha headband. His mouth dropped open as she stormed past him and almost jumped at the seat next to Sasuke. Ino pulled at her, trying to get her off again, as it dawned on Naruto that she hadn't even realised he was standing there. But that just meant that he had to try harder. So he sat down next to Sakura after Ino left to sit elsewhere, wearing a big frown on her forehead.

"It's really exciting to finally become a Genin, isn't it, Sakura-chan?"

"Sasuke, I heard you earned a full score on every single subject in the final exam. That's so amazing," Sakura said to Sasuke, who was still staring outside. And it so just happened, that neither Sakura nor Naruto managed to start a conversation with their desired person.

"Naruto, what are you even doing here? I thought you failed," Shikamaru asked. He was sitting a row behind Naruto, looking like he was about to fall asleep.

Naruto instantly turned around, happy someone was talking to him. He pointed to his headband. "See? I passed too."

Iruka-sensei opened the door and stepped inside. The students were still chatting, and the voices only slowly died down as they realised there was another person following Iruka.

"Who is that?" Ino asked Shikamaru.

"How would I know? I don't look at women. They are too troublesome."

"I've seen her around the Academy before," Kiba answered her. His puppy was sitting on his lap. They never left each other's side, not even when Kiba went to the Academy.

"Quiet, please," Iruka started. "First of all, congratulations. You all passed your final exams here at the Academy." He pointed at the girl standing next to him. "This is Naho Kanazawa. She joined the Academy only two years ago and was thus placed in a different class from you guys. However, she asked to take the exam too and passed. So she will become a Genin with you."

The girl wore the Konoha headband, but it was too loose, so it kept sliding down, blocking her view. "I… am Naho. Nice to meet you all." Her voice barely reached the back of the room. She hurried away from Iruka's side and sat down.

"Another timid fawn." Sakura yawned, turning towards Sasuke again. To her surprise, Sasuke had finally taken his eyes off the window. He sat straight; his eyes pinned on the new girl sitting in front of them. "What's wrong? Do you know her?" Sasuke looked away without answering. Sakura now eyed the new girl's back closer as well. She couldn't see anything special in her, but Sasuke had never shown any interest in a girl before, not even her.

"Today, everyone of you becomes a full-fledged shinobi. However, you are only Genin now. The hard part is still to come. From here on, you'll be in a squad of three, with an exception of one group of four. Every squad is assigned a Jounin leader, and you will all carry out missions together." Iruka picked up a paper. "We have done our best to balance the teams according to their strengths and weaknesses. Let's see. Team 1…"

Sakura was praying that her name would be read out together with Sasuke's name. Naruto listened closely for his name, but his thoughts slowly started to drift away as Iruka-sensei read out team after team and his name never came up.

"Alright, next up the four-man squad. Team 7…" The first name Iruka read out was that of the new girl, Naho Kanazawa. Naho The next name was Naruto. Naruto seemed pleased enough to be part of any team, but he jumped up in excitement as he heard that Sakura Haruno was to be the third member. Sakura, on the other hand, turned all white. Her parents would never allow her to be on the same team as Naruto Namikaze. But she completely forgot about all her ensuing troubles as soon as the last name got announced: Sasuke Uchiha.

"I thought teams were supposed to be balanced. Why does Sasuke get to be in the 4-man-squad?" Shikamaru mumbled.

Ino laughed. "They have Naruto on their team. They will need the extra person." But Ino's eyes were focused on Sakura and Sasuke. As though Sakura could feel Ino's gaze, she tnurned around and stuck her tongue out at Ino. Ino was about to fire back as her own name got called out.

"Team 10: Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji."

She glanced at Choji, who was eating potato chips, and sighed.

"Why do I have to be on the same team as Sasuke?" Naruto complained to Iruka.

"Because Sasuke has the best grades. And you have the worst, Naruto."

His classmates laughed, and Naruto threw a sharp glance at Sasuke. "You better not get in my way."

Sasuke returned the glance. "Don't steal my line."

"Stop picking fights with Sasuke." Sakura was sitting between them and punched Naruto on the shoulder.

"You are dismissed until you meet your Jounin teachers." Iruka left the room and everyone slowly got up.

Kiba walked over to Hinata and Shino. "It seems like we are a team from now on." His puppy, Akamaru, happily barked at their new teammates.

"I hope we will work well together," Hinata said shyly. She stayed with her new team, but her eyes kept searching for Naruto. Every time they found him, she would blush and look away again. It was a habit of hers that Kiba had noticed a long time ago.

Ino picked a fight with Sakura before she could follow Sasuke out of the room.

"You don't have to cry because I get to be with Sasuke, Ino. This was destiny after all." Sakura walked past her.

"You… just because you two are in the same team doesn't mean that he'll fall for someone with a forehead as huge as yours." Ino ran after her.

"At least I get to spend all my days with Sasuke from now on." Sakura laughed Ino in the face and stepped into the hallway to follow Sasuke. Her smile vanished the instant she saw him talking to the new girl.

"What was your name again?" he asked her.

The girl pushed her headband back up. "Naho Kanazawa. You are Sasuke, right?"

"Have we… met before?"

Ino and Sakura simultaneously sank to the ground as they both realised that this girl had already received more attention from Sasuke than they had gotten over the last three years.

"I don't think we have. Why?"

"Never mind. It's nothing." He walked past her and left.

"Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto stood in the doorway. "Since we are in the same squad and all, why not have lunch together?"

"Why should I eat with you?" she yelled back at him.

Naruto was irritated by her sudden outburst of anger. "Well… We're in the same group, so…"

She bit her lip. "You are annoying." Sakura ran off, past the new girl. She would find Sasuke, and she would make sure that she was the one spending the lunch break with him.

Naho raised her hand at Sakura as she stormed past her, but no words left her mouth. Instead, she turned to Naruto. "Naruto… I'd like to eat with you. If that's alright." Her headband slipped down again, and she had to push it back up.

Naruto sighed. Sakura's words had hit him deep, but he still managed to smile at his other teammate. "Let's go."

Naho returned the smile. "Do you know our other two teammates well? Are they nice?" They left the building together.

"Sakura-chan is a really nice girl. I'm happy I get to be in a team with her. She is cute, and…" Naruto blushed and laughed in embarrassment.

"She is? She seemed a bit… intimidating just now."

"Oh no, that's just Sakura-chan's personality. I'm sure you'll like her when you get to know her. Sasuke on the other hand…" Naruto stopped talking as he spotted Sasuke all alone. "Sorry, Naho. There is something I need to do." Naruto waved at Naho and ran off.

"But…" Naho was left alone.

* * *

"Choji, how can you eat this much? You just finished two bags of chips and a pizza. This doesn't look healthy at all." Ino could barely take a bite of her own sandwich. She could feel herself getting fatter just by sitting next to her new teammate.

"I need a lot of energy." Choji opened a bar of chocolate that he brought as dessert.

"Well, you definitely won't die on the battlefield if you continue like this. You won't even make it that far."

"Hey, isn't that Naruto over there? What's he doing?" Shikamaru interrupted the little fight that was about to build up between his two teammates.

"Looks like he is sneaking up on Sasuke. Oh!" All three of them watched closely as Naruto grabbed Sasuke and pulled him through an open window back into the Academy.

"Is that idiot fighting Sasuke again?" Shikamaru sighed and turned back to his lunch.

Ino laughed. "No way Naruto could ever win that. See? There's Sasuke coming out of the window again." She returned to her food as well. Choji had never left it in the first place. But none of the three realised that Naruto had indeed managed to catch Sasuke by surprised. He left Sasuke tied up in the room and was now on his way to Sakura, looking just like Sasuke.

He found Sakura sitting on a bench, inspecting her forehead in a mirror. She blushed when she saw that Sasuke approached her and scooped aside.

Naruto sat down next to her, trying his best to sound like Sasuke. "You… have a charmingly wide forehead. I'd like to kiss it." He almost immediately realised that this was nothing Sasuke would ever say, and Sakura stared at him with big eyes. So he added, "Or that's what Naruto would say." There was a bit of disappointment in Sakura's eyes, but this was exactly the direction Naruto wanted the conversation to take. "Say, what do you think of Naruto?"

Sakura let out a big sigh. "All Naruto ever does is play pranks without regarding other people's feelings. He's annoying." She looked at the boy she thought was Sasuke. "But Naruto doesn't matter to me. You do. I want you to understand how I feel about you, Sasuke." Sakura closed her eyes and slowly moved her head closer to Naruto.

Panic spread inside of Naruto. Was she going to kiss him? Her soft, pink lips approached in a slow pace. Naruto wanted this kiss. He wanted Sakura to like him, to show everyone that he, Naruto Namikaze, was someone worth kissing. But he wasn't Naruto right now. He was Sasuke. And Sasuke was the last person he wanted Sakura to kiss. A lose-lose situation, he realised. His body made the decision for him, as he suddenly started sweating. How did kissing even work, he wondered. His cheeks grew hot and all he wanted was to escape this awkward situation he'd gotten himself into, and every muscle in his body decided to flee.

Naruto jumped up and ran away, leaving a blushed Sakura alone on the bench. "I didn't know Sasuke was so shy." Sakura giggled. "Maybe I am actually closer to reaching my goal. He has never been this nice to me before."

Sakura stayed on the bench, daydreaming for the rest of her lunch break. She had almost figured out the names of their future children when Sasuke came back. She straightened herself and made room for him next to her again.

"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke asked her. He seemed more than angry.

"Why talk about Naruto again? Just sit down with me."

"I don't have time for this. I need to find Naruto." Sasuke was about to leave again, but Sakura made sure to keep the conversation going.

"Just leave Naruto be. All he ever does is pick fights with you. He just wasn't raised right." She could see that Sasuke stopped to listen to her, so she kept going. "It really shows that he doesn't have parents. All these pranks he pulls off, if I did something like that, my parents would get completely mad at me. But I guess you can do whatever you want if you have no parents to tell you otherwise."

Sasuke turned around to her again, but the look in his eyes was completely different from before. "Being all alone," he started out. "It's something worse than getting scolded by parents."

"What's gotten into you?" Sakura wondered, realising he seemed mad all of a sudden.

"You… annoy me." He never looked at her again and left.

His words felt like a stab in Sakura's chest. She sank deeper into the bench. Her mind repeated his words over and over again. "Wait." She sat up again. "I guess that's how Naruto must have felt as well." She softly slapped her own forehead. "Ah, maybe I should try and be a bit nicer next time."

Meanwhile, Naho spend the lunch break alone. She had seen other teams eat together, but her own teammates had vanished. But on her way back to the Academy, she spotted Sakura sitting on a bench. She remembered Naruto's words, so she took a deep breath and walked towards her.

"Ah, Naruto!" Sakura jumped up from the bench, waving at him. Naori instantly stopped. She didn't want to interrupt the two. "Naruto, want to walk back to the Academy together?" Sakura gave him her best smile.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Sasuke?" he asked.

Sakura turned around, but Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. She looked back at Naruto in confusion.

"I know this is you trying to get revenge on me," he yelled at Sakura and pointed his finger straight at her. "You won't fool me this easily!" And with that, Naruto ran off again.

"Naruto…" Sakura clenched her fist after him. "You idiot," she screamed after him.

Slowly, Naho turned around. Maybe talking to Sakura another time was better.

* * *

The girls could feel the tension between Sasuke and Naruto as the four sat in a room together, waiting for their new Jounin teacher. It was clear that something had happened between them in the lunchbreak, but no one would say a word about it.

Sakura sighed. "He really is late."

Naruto got up and walked to the chalkboard. "It's not fair that only our squad leader is late. Everyone else left already." He picked up the sponge lying next to it. A grin formed on his lips as his mind came up with another prank. He put the sponge on top of the door. "It's his fault for coming too late."

"Naruto, you are such a child." Sakura's words didn't match her facial expression. A slight grin formed on her lips as well.

"There is no way a Jounin would get caught in such a weak booby trap." Sasuke turned his head away from Sakura and Naruto. His eyes stayed on Naho for only a short moment, but it was long enough for Sakura to catch it.

Naho hadn't said a word since they were back from lunch, and almost looked like she tried to hide herself behind her headband and the book she was reading. It was a book on the basics of ninjutsu. Naruto thought it was utterly boring and wrong to read schoolbooks even outside of class.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a head peeked inside the room. The sponge fell down, landing right on top of the man's silver hair.

"I got him! I got him!" Naruto yelled, doing a little dance on the spot.

"I'm so sorry, sensei. I tried to stop him, but Naruto just wouldn't listen," Sakura said. She suddenly feared pulling a prank on a Jounin like that might have consequences after all.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he eyed their new teacher. Half his face was covered with a black mask, and one of his eyes was covered by his headband. He was a weird figure. And someone who had just fallen for the stupidest trap.

The Jounin took a moment to look at all of his new students. This year was a problematic year. No one cared when he failed his students so far. They'd been from civilian families or minor clans. Simple casualties of the system. But this year, the Hokage gave him the last living Uchiha as a student and the son of the Fourth Hokage, who had the kyuubi sealed inside of him. Everyone in the village knew the names of those two boys. And if these kids were to fail his test, people would care. This was going to be a pain in the ass. It already was a pain in the ass.

"Mh, how can I put this?" He looked at Sasuke's arrogant eyes and Naruto's victorious grin. He looked at Sakura's faked smile and Naho's shy blush. "As for my first impression of you guys… Well, I already hate you." Silence followed. These kids would not work out together. And he wasn't going to go easy on them because of two big names. "Alright, now that that's out, follow me."

They left the Academy and sat down in a small park nearby.

"First off, let me have you guys introduce yourselves." Kakashi said, sitting opposite of them. He really wasn't interested in them. He knew Naruto's life story. He knew Sasuke's life story. He didn't care about the two civilian girls. But teachers always asked their students for an introduction first.

"What should we say?" Sakura asked.

"Your likes, dislikes, your future dream, hobbies, stuff like that."

"Hey, hey. Can you tell us about yourself first?" Naruto interrupted.

"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake." His students listened carefully. "Things I like and things I dislike? I don't feel like telling you that." He could see the surprise in their eyes. "Dream for the future? Never really thought about that. As for my hobbies, I have many."

There was another moment of silence. "You basically only told us your name," Sakura said, but he ignored her.

"Next is you guys. Let's start with you." He pointed at Naruto.

"My name is Naruto Namikaze. I like instant ramen, but what I like even more is the ramen from Ichiraku. I dislike the three minutes after pouring hot water into the instant ramen. My hobbies are eating and comparing ramen."

Kakashi could feel his eyelids becoming heavier. Was noodle soup all Minato's son cared about?

"And my future dream," Naruto continued, "is to surpass the Hokage! That way I will get everyone in the village to acknowledge me."

"Okay, next," Kakashi said without leaving a comment. It was no goal the boy would achieve by comparing ramen.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like, I mean, _who _I like is…" She glanced sideways to Sasuke, who wasn't looking at her at all. "And my hobby is, I mean…" She glanced at Sasuke a second time, blushing. He still wasn't looking. "My future dream is…" She glanced at Sasuke one last time, giggling. _whwh_

"What about your dislikes?" Kakashi asked. He already hated the dynamic this team showed so far.

"Naruto."

Naruto looked like he just received a straight punch in the stomach.

Kakashi's face didn't show any emotional reaction at all to his student's introduction. He didn't care enough. They were shallow kids. "You definitely seem very absorbed with… the study of ninja arts, as I can tell, Sakura," he marked with a monotonous voice. "What about our other girl?"

Naho blushed a bit when he looked at her and pushed her headband up again. "My name is Naho Kanazawa. I um… I don't have a lot of hobbies, because I usually just try and catch up on the subjects from the Academy. But I like…" She looked away. "I don't really know. I guess there is a lot that I like. And a lot that I disliked too." Her blushing got worse as she tried her best to think of examples, but nothing really came to her mind. "Um… well, my dream is…" She looked down at her hands. A moment passed until she rose her head again. "My dream is to become strong, so I can protect my fam-" she stopped. "So I can protect the people that are important to me. That's why I wanted to join the Ninja Academy."

"That's not the worst answer I heard today. Okay, and lastly…"

Everyone turned towards Sasuke. "My name's Sasuke Uchiha. I have lots of dislikes but no likes in particular. I don't have just a dream; I have an ambition. The ambition to restore my clan, and without fail… to kill a certain man."

They all looked at him with big eyes, except for Kakashi, who still wore the same bored expression. His visible eye only slightly narrowed as he looked at the boy filled with thoughts of revenge. "Alright good, you are all very distinctive and interesting." He got up. Finally this meeting was over. "We have a mission tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto jumped up as well. "What kind of mission? Is it a dangerous one?" he asked in excitement.

"It's a survival exercise."

"We've had more than our share of those exercises in the Academy. Isn't this supposed to be a mission?" Sakura asked.

"It's no simple exercise."

"Then, what is it, huh?" Naruto kept asking.

His face suddenly darkened like he was telling a horror story. "This exercise is an extremely difficult aptitude test. If you fail, I will send you straight back to the Academy. Also, you better skip breakfast. Chances are you'll throw up if you don't." He gave them a smile. "See you tomorrow."

His students blinked once and the Jounin was gone. They were irritated. None of them had known that there would be another test after they passed the final exams at the Academy.

Sakura was the first to shake the thought off and return to the really important questions in her life. "Sasuke, how about we go and have dinner together later? We could go into the park or something for now."

Sasuke told her he had more important things to do without even considering. His eyes rested on Naho for just a second before he walked off.

* * *

The Uchiha used to have their own quarters in the village. They had their own corner on the graveyard too. They lived together, died together, and they were buried together. Most of their graves had the same date engraved on them as well – the day that Sasuke's brother murdered everyone. Sasuke stood in front of his family's graves. He didn't go there often. Dwelling in the past did no good when he would rather look into the future, at his revenge. But today he felt the urge to look at their gravestones again. To read the names on them. There was his mother's name, Mikoto, next to his father, Fugaku. And next to her mother was his aunt's gravestone. She was the only one of his closer family who had died prior to the Uchiha massacre. Everyone else died at the hands of Itachi. Between Mikoto and her sister was a smaller gravestone. It belonged to his cousin. Itachi had always loved her like a sister. At least that's what Sasuke used to believe. He'd even been jealous of her at times. Itachi never had much time to spare, and if he did, he'd make sure to divide it equally between the two young Uchiha. But apparently Itachi never loved her enough to spare her. _Protect her, _was what he'd always tell Sasuke. _Protect her like I would protect you. _In the end, it had only been another game of his to show Sasuke how weak he was. He couldn't protect her. He hadn't even been given the chance.

Sasuke put down a wildflower he'd picked on his way. Protecting loved ones was a sweet dream. An innocent goal. A goal his younger self would have chosen as well. There was no one left to protect though. Revenge was the only thing left for him.

* * *

Naho felt exhausted when she arrived back at the orphanage. She wasn't ready to go on missions with her new squad, so she was relieved there would be another exercise first. She opened the gate; kids were still playing in the yard. A short glance at the time told her that dinner would be served soon. The orphanage was on a strict schedule. Those who missed breakfast or dinner would have to stay hungry until their next meal. The front door opened and one of the sisters stepped outside accompanied with a strange man. Naho had seen him visit before, but none of the other children knew who he was. Two of the younger children followed them, holding a bag in their one hand, and clinging to each other with the other. Naho knew one of them.

"Thank you so much for your visit today, Lord Danzo. I hope these two will prove apt." The sister bowed several times.

"Miro? Where are you going?" Naho resisted an urge to grab the young boy's hand and pull him away from the strange man. Bandages covered half his face. A shiver ran down her spine just from looking at him.

Miro never said anything, just followed Danzo with lowered eyes.

"Who is that man?" she asked the sister after he'd left.

"Lord Danzo. He is one of our village's elders."

"Where is he taking them?"

The sister called over to the playing children, shooing them inside to not miss dinner. "Feeding all of your mouths until you are old enough to graduate from the Academy and earn your own money is costly for our village. Danzo helps us. He takes care of the really young children." She grabbed a broom to sweep the stairs.

"But… Miro didn't even tell me goodbye. Can I visit him some time?"

"Girl, you better worry about your own life and make sure that you aren't sent back to the Academy right away."

Naho bowed her head walking past the sister. She got stopped on the last step.

"There was someone here looking for you earlier. I think she wanted to invite you to dinner."

"Tenten?"

"How should I know? You brats give me enough names to remember already. You know how I feel about dinner invitations, right?" The sister swept around Naho's feet. She had an intimidating look about her and would remind most children of the orphanage of an evil witch with the broom in her hands.

A smile formed on Naho's lips. She straightened herself and put one finger up, readying herself to cite the sister. "A mouth that doesn't have to be fed is a good mouth," she said with her best old-lady-impression. "But it's late already. Can I really go?"

"You are a Genin now. From here on you basically only rent one of our beds from the money you earn on missions. So you are free to do whatever you want. Run around the village all night long for all I care." The woman turned around and vanished inside the building.

Naho looked past the gate. She had often felt pressured by the sisters to graduate from the academy as soon as possible. But maybe there were more advantages to being a shinobi than she had first thought.

Tenten's father owned a tool shop with a small flat over it. Her mother was dead, but Naho never asked what happened to her. She didn't want to talk about her own parents, so she didn't expect others to talk about theirs. It took a while until Tenten's father opened the door.

"Oh, little Naho. We already thought you wouldn't come." He laughed, a loud laugh. He was no shinobi, but still had the strong arms of a hardworking man, and an equally strong laugh. "Come in, come in. Sorry we started without you."

"Ah, don't mind me. Maybe I shouldn't have showed up this late. I'm sorry if I interrupted your dinner."

He grabbed her before she could run away again and pulled her inside. "No worries, kid. The more, the merrier." He clapped her on the back and lead her up the stairs.

Tenten jumped up and gave Naho a hug, who in return blushed in surprise. "You are late. Don't tell me your new teacher made you stay this long on your first day?"

"No, I got a bit lost in time at the library. We have a survival exercise tomorrow and I wanted to look up the basics again."

"Survival, eh? I sell some really decent matchsticks in my shop. Even work when they are soaked. I'm gonna slip you some later." Tenten's father laughed again.

"Your first day out of the Academy and you spend half the day at the library? Come on, Naho! But tell me everything, how was it? Who`s your teacher? What about your teammates?" Tenten sat down again and the questioning started.

Naho sat down around the Japanese style table too. They were having a hot pot. "I guess it was alright," she said, putting some vegetables in the pot. "I was teamed with Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto."

Both Tenten and her father stopped chewing and looked at the girl. "Naruto?" There was worry in Tenten's voice.

"Yes, you know him? He kind of seems to be the nicest of the three."

There was a long moment of silence. Tenten's eyes kept switching from her plate to her father, who just kept eating like he wasn't part of the conversation at all. Naho realised she must've said something wrong, but didn't know what it was.

"I don't know. I've never really met him." Tenten forced herself to a smile.

Tenten's father suddenly stood up. "Sorry, girls. I gotta go see the toilet. Don't mind me, Tenten. You should tell her."

The two girls watched as he left the room and Naho threw some confused looks at Tenten.

"Maybe… you should be careful around Naruto," she started. "You probably don't know since you don't have parents in Konoha, but you've heard of the nine demons, right? One of them is sealed in Naruto. Naruto can't control its power. I've never seen him completely lose himself, but pretty much everyone in the village older than us has. They reinforced the seal keeping the demon locked away some years ago, and there haven't been any incidents since, but still... He's dangerous."

"I'm not sure I understand. From the textbooks it always sounded like those nine demons were just mythical figures. I never knew they were… real. How can one of them be sealed into Naruto?"

"I don't know. My dad he… doesn't really like to talk about it. And he probably wouldn't really know much about it anyway, not being a shinobi. But…" It was obvious that Tenten was considering how much to tell her friend. "That demon, the Kyuubi, has killed hundreds of people from our village in the past. And it is now sleeping inside of Naruto."

Tenten's father came back. He gave the girls a short smile, before continuing to fish some vegetables and meat out of the hot pot.

"What don't you tell me about your teacher? What's his name?" Tenten forced another smile.

A frown formed on Naho's forehead. She wanted to know more about this demon, but clearly it was nothing Tenten's father wanted to hear about. "Kakashi Hatake." Naho agreed to change the subject.

But again, Tenten was just about to bite into her piece of beef when she heard the name and let it fall straight back onto her plate. "Kakashi, really?" she asked, her eyes got bigger. "Gai-sensei, my teacher, goes on and on about him. Apparently they are rivals or something. Too bad you are a year younger than me. Maybe you and I would have made nice rivals too." She pointed a chopstick at Naho and a big grin formed on her face.

Naho smiled back at her, glad that the atmosphere in the room went back to normal as her father joined in with his usual laughter as well.

"But you are really unlucky, Naho," Tenten continued. "I also heard that he's sent every single one of his disciples back to the Academy so far. He must be strict."

"Are you serious? Please tell me you are making this up to mock me!" A look at Tenten's face told her that she wasn't joking. Naho sighed. The sisters would be furious at her if she was sent back to the Academy after managing to somehow pass the final exams. But it wasn't like they could throw her out of the orphanage because of it, and Naho herself was sure another year or two wouldn't hurt. She didn't feel like a shinobi yet.


	5. Naruto's Shadows

Naruto was sleeping soundly when Jiraiya entered his single-room flat. Breaking in was easy. The boy had even left the window wide open. Naruto kept on snoring softly, his arms and legs spread in every direction. Part of his belly showed. Jiraiya pulled up his pyjama further and softly put his fingers around Naruto's navel. He infused a small amount of chakra and the seals placed on Naruto appeared. The boy giggled and scratch his belly, but kept sleeping. The seal consisted of an inner part, the main seal that Minato put on his child. There were openings in the seal that allowed just a small amount exchange of chakra between the Kyuubi and Naruto. The outer part of the seal had been added by the Third Hokage. It filled the openings, and prevented any kind of chakra flow at that point of Naruto's body.

"Step away from Naruto," a voice whispered softly. An Anbu member stood behind Jiraiya. She was wearing a cat-like white mask and the standard Anbu attire. The only thing that could distinguish her from other Anbus were her long blond hair that she wore tied up.

Jiraiya followed her order. "I just wanted to check on the seal. See if everything's good."

Naruto rolled around and rubbed his eyes. His sub-consciousness finally realised that a stranger was present. But when he opened his eyes to look around the two shinobi were gone. He turned around again and continued his dreams.

Jiraiya meanwhile followed the Anbu girl. He'd been curious what kind of seal the Third used on Naruto, but he was even more curious to find out more about the people accompanying Naruto on every step of his life, without his knowledge. This was the easiest way to lure them out of their hiding.

"How may I call you?" He appeared in front of her, blocking her way.

"Step aside, please. You are hindering my mission."

Jiraiya wondered what kind of face was hidden underneath that mask. It was hard to judge her age at all, but she had a fairly sweet voice and a good posture. She seemed young. He pictured her young. "You know, I'm like a godfather to Naruto. I haven't really been here, I know, life has been busy. Nothing I am allowed to talk about really. Top secret." He laughed out loud.

"I'm telling you again. Step aside. I am but a shadow. And shadows don't talk to self-pronounced godfathers." She looked at Naruto's window again. They were standing on top of a nearby roof. Usually, she would go into hiding again until the boy woke up, but Jiraiya kept blocking her way.

"But you must know a lot about him. How long have you watched over him now?"

"This is my last warning, Jiraiya-sama. Let me go and leave Naruto's seal alone."

Jiraiya's grin never vanished. "So you know who I am. I'm glad such an assertive woman is watching over Naruto. I understand you are on a mission right now. But I'm sure you get some free time too? How about we have a drink later?"

He was well aware Anbu mostly operated in teams of at least two. He'd been waiting for her partner to show up. A cat hissed close-by. The Anbu in front of him suddenly pointed a single seal at him – he instantly knew what clan she belonged to. Yet he didn't move to dodge her attack. He was curious. Curious how it would feel when this Yamanaka woman transferred her mind into his body. It took less than a second for everything around Jiraiya to turn black.

It was like Jiraiya was standing in a dark room. He was still able to think. He was still himself. But his consciousness was locked away. Interesting, he though, running his hand down chest and arm. He couldn't feel anything. There was nothing there. His body was gone.

"Can you hear me? I know you can. You are in my mind after all. I have to admit, it's quite arousing having a woman inside of me in this manner. Say, what does my body feel like?"

Of course, there was no answer. She could be doing anything right now with his body. Even kill him. But one of their own Konoha Anbu wasn't possibly going to kill one of the legendary Sannin simply because he'd had a peak at Naruto's belly button. She was most likely moving his body away right now before undoing the jutsu and vanish. He'd wake up in some dark street any second. It was almost like the ending to one of his typical dates.

But it took a lot longer than he expected. Though there wasn't really any way of telling how much time passed. This room was timeless. Spaceless. Yet suddenly, he could feel his body coming back to him. He was zooming out of his own mind, until he opened his eyes and saw the world around him once more. Blue eyes were the first thing he saw. Blue eyes covered by another Anbu mask. A sweet smell filled his nose, roses and pine needles. It was a strong smell. Too strong. How much perfume did this person use? And she was close. Was she holding him up by the shoulders?

The Anbu giggled, a high-pitched and childish giggle. And, without trouble, she threw Jiraiya in the air, down the roof.

Jiraiya didn't know why, but he had trouble moving. The world around him looked so much bigger. Bigger and brighter. Was the sun out yet? He was falling. His body turned in the air, all on its own. And he landed in a dark street, perfectly on all of his four feet. Four feet. He looked at his hand, but there was no hand anymore. Instead, he looked at a soft pink paw, surrounded by black hair. A cat, he realised. They had transformed him into a cat. Those damned two women. This was not the Mind Transfer Jutsu after all, at least not the one he knew off.

Jiraiya jumped up bins and balconies to get back onto the roofs. And there he found himself. His body was lying on the ground, at the exact same spot he'd talked to the Anbu. Of course, she and her partner were gone. His body was unconscious, still breathing. He was alive. Around it was a huge seal drawn on the rooftop. It amused him in a way. He might have even laughed at the situation if there wasn't the slow realisation dawning on him that in order to undo this jutsu, he would need his hands. But there was no way he could form seals with paws. Was this a temporary jutsu that would resolve itself? Was he going to stay a cat until someone else undid it for him? He tried talking, wondering about his communication skills. All he managed to produce were some distressed hissing and meowing sounds. The situation really wasn't funny after all. Of course, the Hokage would be able to dispel it. Or at the least order that woman to undo it. But there was no way he would admit to his former teacher that his mind had been transferred into a cat.

He eventually noticed another seal. It was a small paper seal that stuck to the head of his body. He tapped at it to get it off his head. A feeling of pleasure spread through his body. Tapping at paper was great. He wanted to play with it more, but the paper came off. It stuck to his paw. He shook it off. Nothing happened. Jiraiya was sure that this paper seal was the key to undoing the jutsu. The fact that he was still in this cat's body meant there had to be another seal somewhere on the cat.

The second seal had been placed on that one spot on the back of the head that Jiraiya couldn't possibly reach with neither paw nor mouth. He was stuck. Fortunately, it didn't seem like an impossible task to find someone who would remove a sticky paper from a poor cat. He already had an idea as well. Naruto was still asleep, but this was an opportunity to find out more about the boy and his life before Jiraiya had to return to his missions. He tiptoed back to Naruto's window. All he had to do was to wake him and make him remove the paper, he thought. But on his way to Naruto, he spotted something else. Someone else. A woman had just gotten out of bed, stretching her muscles in front of the window. Jiraiya drifted away from his original goal. Millions of new possibilities suddenly hit his head. New ways of doing research. He jumped towards the woman's window instead. His little paws moved swiftly. The woman was a real treat for the eye. Sitting down on the windowsill, he watched her comb her long, soft hair. She wore a loose nightgown, but it was still clear to Jiraiya that she was well-stacked. She turned around and noticed him. Jiraiya felt caught, expecting her to scream at her and shoo him away. But a smile formed on her lips again.

"What a cutie you are!" she exclaimed and opened the window for him.

Jiraiya was instantly teleported to cloud nine as the woman grabbed him and pressed him to her chest. This was it. A cat's life was what he never knew he needed. He'd never have to spy on bathing women from afar again. He could just walk up to them. Bless the Anbu who transferred his mind to this cat, he thought, while the woman continued hugging him. His small head fitted perfectly in between her soft breasts.

"Oh, what is this weird paper on your head?"

It only took a second for Jiraiya's mind to be torn away from the cat's body again. In a flash he returned to his old body. He opened his eyes to find himself back on the roof. The cat was still in the woman's arms. Now back to its old self as well, it tried the best to free itself from the embrace, hissing and scratching. Jiraiya sighed. What a stupid animal. But a smile soon formed on his lips again. Two cheeky women watched over Naruto. With them and Kakashi, Naruto would be safe to leave the village for the first time. Not only that, maybe it would even be safe to remove the outer seal again. But that was not for him to decide.

He jumped down the roof and walked down the still empty streets, towards Konoha's main gate. He visited the training's ground on his way. It was the place his life has a shinobi had started. And it was the place where Naruto's life would soon start as well. He thought of his old team. The first team one gets assigned to is always the most special one. It's your team. Your one team. Yet those teams barely ever held together. Memories were all that were left of his teammates. They were now scattered across the world. Defected, defeated, disappeared. The Legendary Sannin were no more. They had never been. He continued to the main gate. It was time to continue his mission. He could only wish for a different fate for Naruto's team.


	6. When Old Teams Go, New Teams Form

Kakashi's eyes shot open. Drops of sweat ran down his forehead. He'd awoken from a nightmare, the one nightmare that accompanied his life. It had been a while since he last dreamt of his former teammates. And of their deaths. He got up to get a glass of water, downing it all at once. He groaned at his own body, at the irrational uproar it was in. His heart was still beating heavily when he looked at the clock. It was almost time to meet with the new Genins. He knew well enough that this new team of his caused the resurgence of his nightmares. He was close to becoming a squad leader again. All he had to do was let them pass his aptitude test. All he had to do was accept them as his students. Then he'd be their leader and teacher. He'd be responsible for their lives. Responsible for the lives of not only three, but four children.

Kakashi took a shower, trying to wash away the uneasy feeling sitting in his stomach. The cold water felt refreshing on his skin, but it couldn't reach his insides. He ran a hand through his wet hair. There was no need to worry, he told himself. These four kids would not pass his exam anyway. They weren't compatible with each other. It was obvious. He dried himself up and sat down on his bed again to continue reading _Icha Icha. _It would take his mind off things.

Hours passed with Kakashi being immersed in Jiraiya's bestseller. He only took his eyes off the book when someone knocked on his window. It was Gai.

"Today is the day, Kakashi. You will get your own Genin squad and become their teacher. Yet another discipline I can show you, my eternal rival, that I am able to surpass you." He jumped into the room, his fist raised far into the air. He was filled with the anticipation and excitement Kakashi was missing.

Kakashi glanced at the time. It was later than he'd expected. "Yeah, I guess I should get going soon," he said, but didn't move.

"Here, I brought some lunch boxes, again." He held up a bag and put them on a table. "Don't misuse them like last time. They are supposed to be eaten together after your team passed, not as part of the test itself. A good teacher-student relationship is important. You should listen to me on that since I am the more experienced teacher here. And my students definitely think of me as the greatest teacher in all of Konoha." He threw a thumbs up at himself and showed Kakashi a toothy grin. It had been Gai who proposed to the Hokage that Kakashi should become a squad leader for the new Genin. And it visibly bothered him when Kakashi would go on to let every single student assigned to him fail.

Kakashi stared at him a while, not twitching even a bit. It was for the best that Gai didn't know he'd already told his students to skip breakfast. "Four lunch boxes?" He looked at the bag.

"One for each of your students and one for yourself, of course. Eating together is the first step to form a strong and flourishing relationship."

"Well, I was assigned a four-man squad though. But no worries, I'm sure at least one will fail anyway." He smiled at his friend, who looked like he'd just been stroked by lightning.

"A four-man squad? Dammit, Kakashi. You aren't even their teacher yet, still you already surpass my team in numbers." There was a moment of theatrical sobbing. But then Gai's goofy mood changed into a slightly more serious one. "Please, Kakashi. Promise me you give them a chance." He folded his hands, begging. "You can't fail _every _student. Just think of all the possibilities for new challenges if we are both teachers of Genin. We could go on missions together, train together, have competitions between our Genin. As eternal rivals, we are destined to compete against each other in every part of our life. I know I'm having a head start on this, but knowing you, you will catch up in no time."

Kakashi nodded to reassure his friend. But it hadn't been his fault that his former Genin couldn't live up to his expectations. He hadn't failed them on purpose. They had failed themselves.

"Oh, you are reading a new book?" Gai picked _Icha Icha _up. To Kakashi's surprise, he barely blushed at all. Instead, another fire ignited inside of him. "Kakashi, you truly are my eternal rival. Always furthering your knowledge in all aspects of life. I shall run to the next bookstore right now and buy all the books on love and passion." With those words, Gai jumped out of the window again and vanished.

* * *

His students were already waiting for him when Kakashi arrived at the training grounds. They hadn't noticed him yet. He stood behind a tree for a moment, observing them. Naruto and Sakura paced up and down, clearly impatient. Sasuke was leaning against one of the three tree trunks, arms crossed in front of him. Naho was reading a book on survival skills. Naruto frowned at her every now and then, until he finally walked over to her.

"Why are you reading that?"

The girl shrieked as Naruto's head suddenly appeared next to hers. "I just… I wanted to be prepared for today."

Naruto took the book away from her. "You don't need that. We are going to pass anyway!" He smiled at her, trying to sound reassuring, but Naho took a step away from him instead. She looked scared.

"Give it back to her, Naruto. Just because books are lost on you doesn't mean that others can't enjoy them," Sasuke said.

"He's right, Naruto! Don't bother her," Sakura agreed with Sasuke.

"You're such a bore, Sasuke," Naruto answered, but handed the book back to Naho.

Kakashi observed the scene, analysing the team's dynamic. It bothered him how much they reminded him of his old team. He almost hoped they'd fail the test. It made him a bad teacher, having such thoughts, but he never claimed to be a good teacher anyway.

He walked towards them, revealing his presence. Naruto and Sakura instantly threw complains at him for being late.

"Sorry, guys. There was a black cat on my way, so I had to make a small detour." They clearly weren't satisfied with his answer, but Kakashi barely cared. He put a clock on a tree stump and showed them three bells tied to his belt. "Today's mission is to take these bells away from me by noon. If you can't do it, you won't get lunch. You'll be tied up to these tree trunks over there and I'll eat my lunch right in front of your eyes." He could see the exact moment his students realised why they'd been told to skip breakfast. He enjoyed it. Naruto's belly was rumbling already.

"But… there are only three bells," Sakura noted.

"There are only three bells, so at the very least, one of you is going to be tied to a trunk. That person will be disqualified for failing the mission, and will thus be sent back to the Academy." There was a moment of silence between them. "You are a team of four, which is not ideal. So we will cut this number down today. One of you will fail, but it is also a possibility that all of you fail." He waited a moment to see if his students had anything to say, but they just eyed their teammates, or in this instance, their rivals. The girls looked rather uncomfortable, but the two boys had their eyes set on the bells. They'd eaten his bait already. "You won't be able to take these bells unless you come at me with the intent to kill."

"But that's dangerous," Sakura said. Rin had said the same back then to Minato-sensei.

"Yes, it is," Naruto agreed. "You couldn't even dodge the chalkboard eraser yesterday."

"The life of a shinobi is a dangerous one. If you can't accept that and overcome the thought, then this is not the right path for you. Alright, let's start when I give the signal."

Naruto grabbed a kunai from his bag. "This is my path. I'm going to be Hokage," he yelled as he threw the blade straight at Kakashi, who stood almost completely still as he caught the kunai at the ring, spinning it around his fingers and back at Naruto. Naruto fell backwards, almost failing to dodge. The four students stared at their teacher with big eyes.

"Don't be so hasty. I didn't say _start _yet." Naruto had Minato's looks, but definitely not his character. He was like his mother. And like Obito. A soft smile formed under Kakashi's mask, visible to no one. Kushina had always liked Obito best.

A grin formed on Sasuke's mouth, and there was a fire igniting in his eyes. "He is a Jounin after all," he mumbled to himself.

"Ready? Start." Kakashi stayed, observing the first moves his students would make.

Sasuke, Sakura and Naho did the first thing they had been taught at the academy: they jumped away and all hid in different spots of the training field, masking their own presence. A shinobi always tried to have the aspect of surprise on their side. Naruto was the only one who stayed in the open with Kakashi. He was going to face him head-on.

"Huh, guess you are the odd one out," Kakashi said. The eagerness in Naruto's eyes were completely missing in his. He was bored. He wanted to be somewhere else. His hand reached into his pockets, and he pulled out the book Jiraiya had given to him. At least he had something to read while these four kids played around.

Naruto stared at him with big eyes and an open mouth.

"What is it? Why don't you come at me?" Kakashi asked.

"But what about that book?"

"What about the book? Well, I was curious what happens next. Don't worry. With you guys as my opponents, it won't make any difference if I'm reading or not."

His last sentence clearly triggered anger in Naruto. He wasn't going to have his teacher talk down on him like that. He was going to prove to him that he was an opponent to be respected. So he ran at him, ready to strike. But Kakashi dodged the first blow, and the second. Naruto tried to punch him from behind, but that one got blocked as well. All this while, Kakashi seemed to barely move at all.

"Shinobis shouldn't let the enemy take them from behind, fool." Kakashi suddenly appeared behind Naruto, who didn't even have time to turn around and face him again. Kakashi clapped him on the butt and send Naruto flying straight into the nearby lake.

"What's the matter? There's no lunch if you don't get a bell," Kakashi called over to him as Naruto crawled out of the lake again. His clothes were soaked, making moving somewhat uncomfortable and slow. "You are not very energetic considering you told me you wanted to surpass the Hokage."

Naruto stood up again. "I will! I will surpass the Hokage. Both the Third and my own father." He formed a sign and produced several shadow clones. Again, he charged at his teacher with his own clones as backup.

There was a short glimpse of surprise in Kakashi's eye. Genin usually didn't know how to use shadow clones. But it made no difference to him. He dodged one attack after the other. Until, eventually, one of Naruto's clones managed to grab him from behind. He held Kakashi tight, waiting for another clone to land a punch. But right as Naruto punched his teacher straight in the face, Kakashi turned into another Naruto. Confusion spread among all clones that all looked exactly the same, as they were all convinced that their teacher must have used the Transformation Jutsu and was now one of them. They started beating each other, hoping the real one would show. One clone after the other disappeared as they got hit by their counterparts. The real Naruto soon realised he had to undo his jutsu if he didn't want to be beaten up by his own clones. All the clones vanished, but his teacher was nowhere to be seen.

Kakashi sat on a tree branch, reading. _Icha Icha _truly was a masterpiece. It's characters and their interactions felt like they'd been taken directly from real life and put into this novel. It taught Kakashi something. Something he knew he'd never have in life.

He blinked down at Naruto every now and then, who was still looking around in confusion. Eventually, he finally spotted it. The bell Kakashi had placed on the ground for him.

"This is my lucky day," Naruto said to himself and jumped at the bell. A rope wrapped around his foot as he stepped closer, and a second later, Naruto was hanging heads-down from a tree.

"Don't get trapped in an obvious trap, fool. A ninja must see through deception." Kakashi appeared before him again, still holding his book in his hand.

"I know that," Naruto yelled back.

"No. I'm telling you this because you don't know. Your movements are wasteful too." He wondered if the other three were plotting anything. If they weren't stupid kids, they'd all be discussing a plan of action right now. But he knew they would all fight for themselves. He'd seen it in their eyes. So he just kept lecturing Naruto on the fundamentals of fighting tactics. Something the boy was clearly missing.

Sasuke saw that Kakashi was distracted by Naruto. He grabbed three shuriken and threw them all straight at Kakashi's back. Sasuke never took his eyes off of him, yet suddenly, he was just gone, and the shuriken flew past Naruto, only missing him by an inch. Sasuke left his hiding spot, knowing he had just revealed his own location to Kakashi.

Sakura too was now aware where Sasuke was, so she decided to go and find him. She crawled out from the bush and looked past the trees. Accidently running into Kakashi was not on her list. She eventually spotted her teacher leaning on one of the trees, reading his book. She took a deep breath and hid behind another bush to observe him, wondering if there was anything she could do to get a bell.

"Sakura, behind you," Kakashi whispered in her ear.

Sakura almost jumped out of her own skin as she suddenly saw Kakashi's head right next to her. But once she had completely turned around to face him, he was gone again. She sighed, trying to calm her heartbeat. But then she saw Sasuke. He was lying on the spot she'd seen Kakashi stand before. He didn't move. Sakura ran towards him, just to realise that there were serious wounds all over his body.

"Sasuke…" She tried to wake him, but nothing happened. There was blood everywhere and she realised that he wasn't going to wake up again. Tears filled her eyes. She cried, until her brain was overloaded from emotion and sensory input. She fell down next to Sasuke, unconscious.

Sasuke could hear Sakura scream not too far away. He followed the sound and eventually found her lying on the ground.

"Mh, I might have gone a bit overboard there." Kakashi was sitting on a branch and looked down at them. He turned the page of his book, looking like he was rather disinterested in Sasuke. "She really should have noticed though."

"A genjutsu?" Sasuke realized. "I won't fall for a simple illusion like that."

Kakashi smiled down at him. "Why don't you start talking after you got a bell, Sasuke?"

A fight between the two broke out. Sasuke's movement were a lot faster and more precise than Naruto's, but it still wasn't nearly enough to keep up with their teacher. He dodged one kick and punch after the other. His eyes were still focused on his book instead of Sasuke. But this student had made preparations. Sasuke threw a kunai straight at Kakashi, knowing he would dodge. Another kunai activated a trap, which had several more blades shoot at Kakashi from a different direction. Sasuke jumped in the same direction Kakashi was dodging to and went for a kick at his face. Kakashi blocked the kick with his free hand, but Sasuke's knew he would, and used the opening to go for the unprotected bells. He could feel them, touched them even. But his teacher eventually let go of his book to grab Sasuke's wrist and pull him away.

"Hm, seems like you made me stop reading. You sure stick out from the rest," Kakashi said, picking up his book again.

"Of course, I do. Those three are just hindrances." Sasuke used a fire style technique, the Fireball Jutsu, hoping to still catch Kakashi off guard. A huge fireball flew towards Kakashi, but he just vanished once again. Sasuke looked around him, wondering from where he would attack. His teacher was nowhere to be seen, when suddenly, something grabbed Sasuke's foot and pulled him downwards, right into the ground.

Kakashi stood in front of him again, reading. Sasuke was completely buried in the ground and only his head stuck out. "Well, there is this saying… what was it again?" Kakashi said. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." He slowly turned around and left Sasuke. "I guess there is only one left."

* * *

Naruto still hung from the tree, unsure where his teacher went and how he was to get down on the ground again. He was about to summon a shadow clone to grab one of the kunai that fell out of his pockets and cut him down, when Naho suddenly appeared next to him. She looked around nervously before her eyes fell on Naruto.

"Are you alright?" she asked. There was a moment of hesitation before she took a kunai and cut the rope. Naruto hit the ground hard, and his teammate immediately apologised.

"No worries. I'm fine," he said, scratching his head in embarrassment. He got up and recollected some of the kunai he'd thrown around earlier. "Where did Kakashi-sensei go? I'm going to go and get that bell," Naruto yelled, running away from Naho.

"Naruto, careful! There…," Naho tried to warn him, but it was too late. He had stepped on yet another trapped that send him right back to where he'd been a few moments earlier. He hit the ground hard for a second time when Naho once again freed him.

"This is stupid. I can't fight or concentrate when I'm hungry." Naruto's stomach growled again. "I need something to eat." He sighed, scratching his neck. When he turned around to Naho again, he realised that she was staring at him. "Mh? Do I have anything on my face?"

"What? No, no! I'm sorry, I just… I was lost in thought." Naho blushed and took a few steps backwards. Tenten's words resounded in her head.

"Ah man, this whole exercise sucks. I really need one of those bells so I can finally eat something," Naruto said, louder than he had to. It almost seemed like he wanted Kakashi to hear him and come back for him. That way, he at least didn't have to go through the trouble of finding him.

The two looked around the training grounds. Naho followed Naruto, leaving a bit of space between the two.

"Naho-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, so loud and sudden that Naho almost jumped in the next bush to hide. "Look what I found." Naruto ran up to a memorial. Behind it, there were four lunch boxes, ready to be eaten. But Naruto's eyes narrowed as he realised that this was probably yet another trap.

"Leave them, Naruto." Naho pushed her headband back up. It was still too loose.

Naruto carefully touched one of the boxes. Nothing happened. He picked it up. "See? It's all safe. Come here, there is enough for both of us." Naruto sat down next to the memorial with a big smile on his face.

Naho walked up to him. "I don't think we are allowed to eat those," she tried again, but Naruto just grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to him. Smiling, he handed her one of the lunch boxes. It only took a few seconds for Kakashi to appear behind them.

* * *

Tenten and her team were ready to leave Konoha to go on another mission. Their teacher Gai had just left them to buy some more supplies for the way. Lee was doing 200 sit-ups, telling himself that if he wouldn't finish before Gai came back, he would have to walk to the next town on his hands. He was wearing the signature training suit of his teacher, a tight overall all in green. It had taken Tenten quite a while to get used to the sight, especially since their teacher wore the same one, day in and day out.

"Is there something bothering you, Tenten? Your eyes keep drifting off," Neji asked. He was from the Hyuga clan and had their distinctive eyes. They were of a light violet, almost white.

Tenten sighed. "A friend of mine is doing her Genin aptitude test right now. You know, the one in which we had to try and hit Gai-sensei once. I wonder how she's doing."

"She'll be fine. I don't think anyone ever fails that test."

"But she has that Kakashi as a teacher. You know what Gai-sensei said about him, right?"

Lee immediately stopped his sit-ups and looked at Tenten. "You are talking about Gai-sensei's eternal rival, right? I have to admit, I am really curious what kind of rival Gai-sensei chose for himself." He looked at Neji. There was a tension between the two that only Lee could feel. He went back to doing the rest of his sit-ups, telling himself he would do 100 extra for taking this short break.

"Worrying about it will do no good, Tenten. It's only going to distract you from our mission," Neji scolded her. "She's either going to pass or fail. There is nothing you can do to change that."

"You are always so indifferent," Tenten scolded back. "It's normal to worry about people, you know? So use your Byakugan to look at the training grounds and tell me what's happening there." Tenten pointed towards the training grounds and threw a demanding glance at Neji.

"I'm not going to use up chakra to see how that friend of yours is doing." Neji's eyes had the ability to use the Byakugan. It was a Visual Jutsu that only the children of the Hyuga clan could inherit.

"Come on. Just this once. A short glance won't hurt. Aren't you interested in what kind of test this Kakashi is giving them?" She could see that Neji really didn't care at all, so she changed her plan. "Who knows, maybe we could ask Gai-sensei to do the same test with us to see if we would pass. It seems to be a hard one from all we've heard, so I am sure it would be good training."

Lee instantly jumped up, a fire burning in his eyes. "She is right, Neji! I want to see this test too," Lee said excited.

Neji sighed. "You two are unbelievable." He was not happy, but gave in to his two teammates regardless. They had an unwritten rule in their team that majority votes decided actions. It only took a moment for him to activate the Byakugan, which granted him improved vision to see all the way to the training grounds. Even trees and buildings standing in the way proved no problems for his eyes. "I can see that Uchiha boy. He's all buried in the ground except for his head. There's a girl trying to dig him out. Pink hair, red dress. Is that your friend?"

"No, that must be Sakura. Why is he buried in the ground though?"

"How should I know? There's no one else around." He kept looking. "Wait, there is another girl. She's with Naruto. I guess that Jounin must be Kakashi-sensei."

"What are they doing?" Lee asked, looking at Neji like he was watching a thrilling movie scene.

"Kakashi is tying them up to those tree stumps."

"Have I just heard my eternal rival's name?" Gai-sensei appeared behind them, both hands were on his hips and his chest was puffed out. His sudden appearance startled his students as none had heard him approach. "And why do I see the Byakugan, Neji?"

"Gai-sensei," Lee interrupted. "We have observed the aptitude test your eternal rival Kakashi Hatake gave to his students. Please, let us take the test as well once we are back from our mission. We want to prove ourselves."

"Lee?" Gai seemed irritated by his student's words.

"I'll also volunteer to be the one buried in the ground, sensei. I will show you my strength by digging myself out all on my own," Lee said, full of determination.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Lee. But you don't have to take Kakashi's test. I know you would all pass anyway." He smiled at his students, doing some exaggerated gestures.

"How can you be so sure?" Tenten asked.

"Remember your own aptitude test? I told you to try and land a hit on me. But, of course, a Genin could never hit a Jounin. You were posed with an impossible task to begin with. What I wanted to see was how you'd deal with it. I wanted to see your endurance and determination. And none of you ever gave up. Kakashi's test is similar. But instead of testing their endurance, it's all about… teamwork."

* * *

Sakura gave Sasuke a hug as soon as they'd freed him from the ground. He slowly pushed her away, but Sakura didn't care. She was glad he was still alive. She watched as he got up, readying himself to find Kakashi again.

"Are you sure you want to keep trying? It's almost noon." Sakura had observed Kakashi's movements when he fought Naruto. She was well aware there was no way she would ever get to touch one of those bells. The gap in skill between her and a Jounin was way too big. It was obvious.

"I was able to touch them," Sasuke said, looking at his fingertips. "Next time, I'll be able to get them." He was determined, turning around to walk away and leave Sakura.

She ran after him, grabbing his hand. "Wait. There really isn't much time left. Maybe we should all just try again next year. Our teacher seems pretty mean and disinterested in teaching us anyway. I'm sure we'll get a better one next time." Sakura wasn't proud of her feelings, but she didn't want Sasuke to pass this exam without her. She would be separated from him. He would get a new team and go on missions, while she would be stuck in the Academy, far away. A sudden realisation hit her that maybe there would be no next time. If she failed this, it would only prove to her parents that she wasn't cut out to be a shinobi. It would prove to her parents and to herself that she was a failure despite all her good grades.

"Let go off me. I don't have time for setbacks. I must become strong and…"

They could hear the clock ringing. The time was up.

"Dammit, I wasted too much time here." Sasuke turned around and walked away.

Sakura followed him. Her parents would be pleased with this result. She bit her lips, knowing that this failure undermined all her efforts to convince her parents that the she was strong enough for the life of a Shinobi.

They saw Naruto and Naho both tied up to a tree stump when they returned. Kakashi was leaning onto one as well, reading his book. He stopped when he saw Sasuke and Sakura approach and put it away.

"Now, look at the four of you. Seems like all of you failed," he said with a flat voice. "And sounds like your stomachs are growling too." He looked at Naruto in particular. "But I changed my mind. I won't tell you to go back to the Academy."

The four students were surprised. A smile formed on Sakura and Naruto's face.

"I'm telling you to quit being a shinobi instead," Kakashi added.

Sakura and Naruto instantly stopped celebrating. "What do you mean we have to quit? Just because we couldn't get that stupid bell?" Naruto yelled at him.

Sasuke decided to give it one last try and go for the bell again while Naruto distracted their teacher with all his yelling. The time was up, but Sasuke wasn't going to give up. His road couldn't end there. He dashed at Kakashi. But Kakashi slammed him to the ground before he even got close to the three bells. His teacher then put a foot on his head, pinning him down.

"Are you kids thinking that being a shinobi is easy and fun? Huh? Why do you think you are doing this exercise in teams?" He looked into three confused faces. "You guys have no idea what the point of this whole exercise is, do you?"

Naruto looked up, thinking hard. "To get the bells?"

"Man, are you guys brainless or what? Don't you get the meaning of a squad? A team?" He waited a moment for them to say anything, but they all remained quiet. Sasuke only moaned, trying to free himself from Kakashi's foot. "It's teamwork."

"You mean, working together?" Sakura asked, surprised at the answer.

"Exactly. But it's too late now. You might have been able to take the bells if the four of you had come at me together as a team. But you failed horribly." Kakashi was not surprised they failed. And he was glad they did. The world didn't need more shinobi that were only interested in their own benefit.

"But why use teamwork when there were only three bells? That'd just create internal conflict," Sakura intervened. Naruto backed her up and agreed.

"Of course," Kakashi said. "This is a test that purposely places you against each other. I wanted to see if you could prioritise teamwork over your own interests. But you were all fools. Sakura, you were only concerned with Sasuke, even when you didn't know where he was. You completely ignored Naruto who was right in front of your eyes and could have used help. Naruto, all you do is run solo. When Naho freed you from the trap, the first thing you did was to run away again, straight into the next trap." He stepped harder onto Sasuke's head. "And you labelled the other three as hindrances and acted all on your own. You are arrogant. And Naho." He paused for a moment. "You were the only one close to passing. You went out of your wat to help a teammate, putting him before yourself. But I'm disqualifying both you and Naruto for breaking the rules and abandoning the mission before it was over."

"But I…" Naho wanted to say something, but Naruto interrupted her.

"Hey, that's not fair. The food was just lying around. You never told us we weren't allowed to touch it!"

"Quiet!" Kakashi yelled. It was the first time he rose his voice. "Missions are carried out in squads and you guys failed as a squad. There is no doubt that a shinobi needs high individual skill, but teamwork is considered more important than that. Individual actions disrupt teamwork. They throw the team into a crisis and can lead to death."

He finally let go of Sasuke and walked over to the memorial where Naruto had found the lunch boxes. It was big stone with many names engraved on it. "Look at this. These are shinobi who are called heroes in our village."

"Wow, really?" Naruto yelled over at him. He wished he could have a closer look at those names, but he was still tied up. "I'm getting my name engraved there too! I'll become a hero, yes." He nodded to himself.

"These are no ordinary heroes, Naruto. They are all heroes who were killed in action."

There was a long moment of silence as Naruto's euphoria died down.

"This is a memorial," Kakashi continued. "The names of my friends are also engraved here." It was silent again. Kakashi eventually turned around to his students. He looked into their eyes. They were filled with so many emotions. What was he supposed to do with these four children? But Kakashi had no faith in them. He didn't want to have faith. Gai flourished in his role as a teacher, but he was different.

"I will give you guys another chance," he said, a bit surprised at his own words. "However, this time it's going to be an even harsher battle to take the bell. You should eat something to regain some strength. However, Naruto and Naho don't eat. And you will not let the two have any food. This is a punishment for breaking the rules and attempting to eat lunch on their own while the mission wasn't over yet." He glanced at Naho, but she avoided him and looked away. It was clear to Kakashi that Naruto was the only one at fault, yet the girl chose to remain quiet. She wasn't blaming Naruto at all.

"But Kakashi-sensei," Naruto started talking instead. "Naho never even touched the food. She was just following me. She even told me not to eat the lunch boxes."

"Yet you chose to eat lunch anyway and she didn't stop you after all. You two will bear the consequences together, like a team does." At least those two had potential, he realised. They backed each other up. He looked at Sakura and Sasuke again. Those two might work well together as well too. The question that was left open was whether all four could work as team. "If someone lets Naruto and Naho eat, that person will be disqualified immediately and will not be given the second chance. Got it? I'll see you after lunch." With those words, Kakashi turned around and left his students alone to eat, taking the spare lunch boxes with him.

Naruto's stomach was rumbling loud enough for everyone to hear as he watched Sasuke and Sakura open the lunch boxes. Yet he still told them that he was fine and that they should eat.

Sasuke took a few bites. He could hear Naho's stomach rumble as well and the girl blushed in embarrassment. He looked into her deep black eyes. It felt like he had seen those eyes so many times before. He got up and stood in front of Naho, holding his chopsticks in front of her face with some rice on them.

"Uh, you don't have to share with me," Naho stumbled. Her blush intensified.

Sakura blushed too, unsure what shocked her more: Sasuke breaking the rules or Sasuke feeding another girl. "Yes, Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei just said that…"

"It's okay," he interrupted her. "There's no sign of him right now. The four of us are going to have to work as a team to get the bells. It'll just be trouble for me if these two become a hindrance because their stomachs keep rumbling." He couldn't get himself to look at those eyes again.

Sakura looked at her own lunchbox, and then held it towards Naruto.

"Sakura… thank you," Naruto said, tears filled his eyes.

"Don't thank me. Just hurry and eat."

"But…"

"Come on, it's fine. I'm on a diet anyway, so I'm not eating all of this." Sakura started getting angry as Naruto still wasn't going to take the food.

"Um, Sakura. I think what Naruto is trying to tell you is… we um, kind of have our hands tied up." Naho's headband slipped down again, but there was nothing she could to about it.

"Hurry up, Sakura. We don't know when he'll be back," Sasuke said, feeding Naho some more rice.

"Yes, Sakura, hurry." Naruto had a dirty smirk on his face.

Sakura's whole head flushed. "Why don't we change places and I'll feed Naho?"

"Don't act all embarrassed feeding Naruto. Just hurry." Sasuke didn't appear to move away from Naho. Naruto on the other hand opened his mouth wide into Sakura's direction.

Completely embarrassed and jealous at the same time, Sakura took some rice and fed it Naruto. All of a sudden, she wished she'd be the one tight up to those stumps, so Sasuke would be feeding her, not this other random girl.

As soon as Naruto's mouth closed around Sakura's chopsticks, Kakashi appeared behind them again. "You guys," he yelled at them. Sakura dropped the chopsticks. "You defied the rules, so that means you know what's coming. Do you have anything to say?"

Naruto started stumbling, trying to find a good-enough excuse.

"You just told us we are a team, right?" Sasuke said.

"That's right. We live together and we die together." Sakura added. "Or, you know… we fail and pass together in our case."

"That's right. That's so right." Naruto agreed, a big smile on his face.

Naho was smiling too, nodding at her teammates, which caused her headband to slip down further.

Kakashi slowly walked up to them, and eventually kneeled down to them a bit to be on the same heights as his younger students. A smile appeared on his face that was visible even through the mask. "You pass. All of you."

His four students stared at him with big eyes. "Why?" Sakura and Naruto asked at the same time.

"In the world of a shinobi, those who break the rules and codes are branded as scum. But those who abandon their friends and comrades are worse than scum."

Naruto's eyes filled with tears again as he kept staring at his new teacher. "He is kinda cool."

Sakura giggled. "Naruto has a crush."

The atmosphere around the five had lightened up suddenly, and they all felt closer to each other than they'd been before.

"Here, there are lunch boxes for you two as well." Kakashi pulled out the two spare lunch boxes, telling Sasuke and Sakura to untie them. Naruto hugged Sakura before he went straight for one of the lunch boxes.

"Don't touch me." Sakura punched him right in the face, but Naruto was so happy, he barely felt anything.

"I did it. I'm a shinobi," he yelled. "We all did it."

"Just sit down and eat," Sasuke said, annoyed at Naruto's obvious enthusiasm.

"Don't you want to eat too, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked her teacher, who was the only one to not sit down in a circle with them.

"It's fine. I'm not really hungry." He kept standing, his hands buried in his pockets where they usually were.

"We can share with you too," Naho said, holding her lunch in his direction.

He smiled again. "I appreciate the thought. I see you guys are true high-flyers now. I'll sit down with you, but you should eat up. This will probably be the only time you'll get lunch from me, so you better enjoy it while it lasts." Kakashi sat down next to his new students. These kids were his first students. The first ones to pass his test, despite all his doubts. They were far from being perfect. But they had passed. A weird feeling crawled up inside of him as he looked at the smiles on their faces, and he couldn't help being happy himself after all. Just a bit. He sat there and listened to Naruto exclaiming how food tasted so much better when you shared it with friends, and he listened to Sakura scolding him for speaking with a full mouth. He watched as Naruto and Sasuke got into a fight over who got closer to stealing the bell from him, and he watched Naho blush when Naruto declared that she'd been a great partner in crime for not telling on him.

Sasuke was the first to get up when they were done eating. "Guess I'll head home when we are finished here."

"Sure. You start your missions tomorrow, so we will meet up again in the morning." Kakashi watched Naruto jump in the air in excitement. He was ready to prove himself in those missions.

"Wait, Sasuke. I'll accompany you." Sakura ran after him. Sasuke didn't seem too happy that she joined him, but also didn't say anything against it.

"Hey, don't forget about me," Naruto yelled and was gone too.

Naho was the only one who kept sitting and started to collect the empty packaging the others had left behind.

Kakashi observed her with his one visible eye. "Now, you are a well-behaved one. But you don't have to do that." He took the litter from her and put it back inside the bag. "You'd make a good voice of reason on the team. But those bullheads won't even hear you if you don't speak up." he said, standing up. The girl looked at him in confusion, but he wasn't going to explain it any further. She would understand his words soon enough once she spent more time with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. "Come here," he said instead. "Tie that headband up tight. A shinobi who doesn't see properly is just asking to get killed."

Naho cringed as he tightened her headband. She looked up and touched her forehead when he was done. "It feels weird wearing it."

"You'll get used to it."

She eyed him carefully. "Why is your headband covering your left eye though?"

He smiled at her and turned her around. "You better go and catch up to the others."

"I don't think they…" She stopped to find the right words, when suddenly, Naruto came running back to them.

"Naho-chan, come on. Sasuke's gonna get all grumpy if we make him wait any longer."

Naho stared with big eyes at Naruto, who was waving at her to come over. A smile formed on her lips and she hurried to join her new team.

Kakashi stayed behind, watching his students leave. Once they were gone, he walked over to the memorial again, putting a hand on the stone. "Obito, Rin. I guess I'm a teacher now." He couldn't help but feel anxious. Yet that strange warm feeling still lingered inside him as well.


	7. Lost and Found

Being the teacher of four Genin proved both easier and harder than Kakashi had thought. It had been years since he'd last been on an E-rank mission. But now he got to do them again, or rather, he got to watch the four kids do them while he sat down somewhere to read. He was their leader, but they hardly needed any leadership when searching lost dogs and weeding gardens. But then again, he also had to listen to their constant fighting and complaining. It was tiring. It was hard to believe that these kids managed to pass his test on teamwork.

Naruto made it his goal in life to surpass Sasuke, so instead of working with him, he worked against him. Sasuke never cared about anything, but wouldn't allow himself to get surpassed either, so he rose to whatever challenge Naruto threw his way, making sure to rub it into Naruto's face that he was better at everything they did. Sakura continued her behaviour from the aptitude test and only had eyes for Sasuke. And Naho barely let anyone know she was even present.

The team was running over a field, trying to catch a lost cat. Naruto was most eager, chasing it around left and right. Naho and Sasuke tried to cut off its way, while Sakura just stood there with a frown on her face. She'd been unusually quiet all day. Kakashi watched her frown deepen as Naho tripped over some branch and Sasuke caught her before she could even fall.

"Careful, Sakura!" Naruto shouted from behind her. When she turned around, the cat jumped past her legs with Naruto dashing right after her like an orange flash. "What are you doing? Catch the damn thing," he yelled at Sakura but didn't stop chasing their target.

The cat dashed right into Naho's arms.

"You got it, Naho-chan! Awesome," Naruto eventually yelled in excitement as Naho managed to grab the cat. Sakura only rolled her eyes.

"Guess we are done here for today," Kakashi said, putting away his book. _Icha Icha Paradise _proved to be the book he'd never known he needed and Kakashi barely managed to put it down anymore.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. These missions are way too easy. Give us something a bit more difficult for tomorrow. How about capturing bandits or being the bodyguard of some VIP?" Naruto complained.

"It really doesn't feel like I'm learning anything from chasing after cats." Sasuke agreed with him for once.

"Well, you don't do these missions to learn anything. These missions are your job now and it's how you are going to make your money from now on. If you want harder missions, you'll have to move up in ranks first."

"Move up in ranks? How do I do that?" Naruto asked.

"You'll have to participate in the Chuunin exams. But in order to do that, you'll have to complete more of these boring missions," Kakashi smiled at him.

"Eh, what a stupid rule. I'm going to change that one once I'm Hokage."

* * *

They walked back together to deliver the cat to its owner and report on their mission.

Iruka was the one to greet them at the Hokage building. He was a teacher at the Academy, but often overlooked missions to help the Hokage. "Good job, Naruto," he said, handing out their pay. "And of course, good job Sasuke, Sakura and Naho," he added, rubbing his neck.

"You know of my talent, right Iruka-sensei? Can't you go to the old Grandpa Hokage again and tell him to give us better missions? These are way too easy," Naruto now complained to Iruka as well. But Iruka simply repeated the same thing Kakashi told him.

"But how about I treat you and your team for dinner today? You have to tell me everything about your experiences as a Genin so far." Iruka felt an irrational interest in the boy's life, mixed with the guilt of not believing in him enough. Obviously, Naruto was doing just fine in his new team.

Naruto's thoughts about missions all vanished in an instant as his head filled with ramen.

"I'll pass. I gotta do some training or I'll never get stronger at this rate." Sasuke left them before Naruto could protest.

"I still have things to do myself," Sakura said, leaving as well.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he stared at Naho, waiting for her excuse as well.

"Do you still want me to come along? Because it's fine if you'd rather spend time alone now that Sasuke and Sakura left," Naho said in a shy voice.

"What? Of course we want you to come with us. Right Iruka-sensei?"

"Right. You are actually Naruto's teammate I'm most curious about since you weren't in my class. I'm Iruka, nice to meet you." He held his hand out to her.

A smile formed on Naho's lips. "I'm Naho Kanazawa, nice to meet you too."

"Alright, let's go. I'm starving! Have you been to Ichiraku's ramen shop yet, Naho-chan? I'm telling you, those are the best ramen you will ever eat." Naruto kept talking all the way to the ramen shop. He was happy that he could finally share his favourite dish with another person.

Teuchi Ichiraku gave the three of them an especially big serving. They ate, and talked, and Iruka looked at Naruto with proud eyes when he told him of the bell test. Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, would join in on the conversation every now and then. Naruto's cheeks were glowing red from excitement. Those were the happiest days of his life.

* * *

"Thank you so much for the meal, Iruka-sensei." Naruto stroked his round belly. Naho thanked the teacher as well, and they said goodbye.

Iruka watched the two genin walk off, a smile on his face. Naruto seemed like a different person to him. He didn't play pranks or yell around like he used to anymore.

Ayame took the empty bowls away.

"Oh wait. Here, I'll pay for all of them." Iruka opened his wallet and started to count coins.

Teuchi laughed at him. "Put that money away. We are family after all."

"But… I brought Naruto and Naho here to eat. I want to pay for it. I caused you more work after all."

Teuchi washed his hand and sat down on a chair as his daughter started doing the dishes. It was the first break he took all day. "I like that boy, and I'm happy you invited him to some ramen. So keep your money. Actually, you should work less and bring some more friends over." The man pointed a spoon at Iruka.

"Now that I think of it… You two always seemed to like Naruto. Why?"

Ayame immediately whirled around. Water and soap splashed on the floor. "Are you serious? Have you seen the cute little whiskers on his cheeks? And he always calls me nee-chan and is so thankful for serving him." She scrubbed the next plate more energetically. "I always wanted a cute little brother, but instead I got a stiff old cousin," she said in a suddenly darker tone.

Iruka only smiled at her, choosing to ignore the criticism she threw his way.

"Naruto is a good child," Teuchi added. "People forget that it's not his fault that monster got sealed in him. You too, Iruka, only ever mentioned the Kyuubi when you were talking about Naruto. It blinded you."

Iruka lowered his head. He knew his uncle was right. But he was determined to change his ways. He wanted to see Naruto, not the demon sealed inside of him. It had been successfully locked away for many years now, without an incident.

"Sometimes I thought you'd blame Naruto for what happened to my sister and your father," Teuchi continued. "I'm glad that's not the case. You know, I'm pretty sure my sister would be all over Naruto too. She used to have that one student she told me about a lot. What was his name again?" He scratched his head. "He was also one of those little brats with a big mouth. Obito? Yes, I think it was Obito. Every time she got home, she would complain about him. But there was always this little smile on her lips that gave her true feelings away. Naruto reminds me a lot of that student and all the stories Kohari told me." A smile formed on Teuchi's lips. A smile that soon found its way to Iruka.

* * *

"Your Academy teacher seems really nice," Naho said, walking next to Naruto. "And the ramen was really delicious too." She smiled.

"I know, right? That's both so true. Hey, how about I accompany you home?"

Her smile vanished. "You don't have to, really."

"But I want to. Where do you live?" Naruto asked her, unaware of the big frown that hid under her headband.

"I'd… rather not talk about my home," she eventually said. She knew Naruto would ask about her family if she told him she lived at the orphanage, and it was no topic she wanted to discuss with him. "How about I walk you home instead?" she added when she saw the disappointment in Naruto's eyes.

"Eh? You, me?"

"Sure, or would you rather walk home on your own?"

Naruto shook his head. He'd been alone for most of his life already, so he would never pass on an opportunity to spend time with someone.

They walked down the busy dining street as the sun was just about to hide itself behind the mountains, and soon arrived in a calmer living area.

Naho couldn't help but think back to Tenten's words as she found herself all alone with Naruto for the first time. Tenten had warned her. Doubts spread in her, and she wondered if she really was supposed to be there with him. Would there be anyone around to help her if something did happen? They walked down a street with houses left and right, but Naho couldn't see anyone outside. She eyed Naruto again, trying to read his intentions. He happily talked about ramen and missions, both arms crossed behind his head. He didn't look like someone with a demon inside of him at all.

"Huh, are you okay?" Naruto realised she was staring at him.

"Ah, yes. Sorry. I was just thinking about something." She blushed again. It was wrong of her to have such thoughts, she knew. Naruto had never done anything to hurt her or make her feel uncomfortable. Those last few days, he truly had been the nicest of his teammates.

"What were you thinking about?"

Naho started stumbling. This was nothing she could outright ask Naruto about. Her eyes moved around as her head tried desperately to come up with an excuse. Suddenly, she spotted a girl. She was hiding behind a tree, watching them. "Naruto, is that girl over there watching us?" she asked as subtle as possible, happy to change the subject.

"Huh, where?" Naruto said, staring into the direction Naho had pointed at.

"Don't be this obvious!" she whispered, pulling at his sleeve.

"Oh, Hinata, is that you?" He continued to yell into the girl's direction.

Naho could see the girl cringe as Naruto continued to yell at her to come over. She was clearly ringing with herself whether to run away or not. Eventually, she slowly stepped away from the tree and walked to them.

"N-naruto, I was just… I just returned from a mission and was on my way home." Her cheeks were glowing red.

"Eh? Why were you hiding behind that tree then?"

Hinata's face grew even redder. "I just… I uh, I dropped something."

"Oh really? Have you found it yet? I can help searching." Naruto was already on his way to the tree when Hinata stumbled after him, telling him he didn't have to.

They all stood in a circle. Naruto and Naho watched as Hinata was nervously playing with her fingers, unable to look either of them in the eyes. She clearly wanted to ask them something, but nothing left her mouth.

"I um… I'm Naho by the way," Naho eventually broke the awkward silence and offered the girl her hand.

"I'm Hinata Hyuga." The girl bowed, completely overlooking the handshake that was waiting for her.

Naho awkwardly pulled her hand back. The blush on her face looked almost non-existent compared to Hinata's face. "Well, maybe I should be going home now. Thank you for the dinner, Naruto." She smiled at Naruto, who just looked back at her in confusion.

"I thought you were accompanying me home?"

Hinata suddenly looked like a kunai directly hit her heart. "D-dinner? A-accompanying him home?"

"Lady Hinata." Another person stepped out from the shadows, interrupting their little chat. He was some years older than the three Genin and had the same eyes as Hinata. "Step away from Naruto. Immediately." He wore a frown on his forehead, as well as a weird symbol.

Hinata shrieked, and her muscles froze for a moment as her mind couldn't quite decide on what to do. The little girl was no one to defy her elders. But she also couldn't stand the way her older cousin Kou looked at Naruto.

"What's up with you, idiot?" Naruto started rambling. "Hinata can stand wherever she wants to stand." He grabbed Hinata's hand, which sent a shiver down the girl's spine.

Almost immediately, Kou appeared behind Naruto, grabbing his wrist. "Let go of her or I will break your wrist."

Naruto did as he said, not because he wanted to, but because of the immense pain he felt as the Hyuga started squeezing his wrist. "What is your problem?" Naruto was about to charge at the young man, when Hinata put herself between the two.

"I'm sorry, I know we're late for dinner. We should go."

"Someone like you should know their place. Don't dare touch a princess of the Hyuga clan ever again."

Those words were enough to make Naruto snap. He ran after the Hyuga, ready to punch him until he would stop looking at him with contempt. But Kou simply sent him flying backwards with a precise kick on the chest. Naho watched as Naruto dropped down on the ground. He instantly got back up, ready to try again. It didn't matter that this was no fight he could win. Naho and Hinata both felt the urge to stop the two. Yet neither of them did.

"Stop it, Kou-san. Please." Hinata's voice never reached Kou. He instead threw punch after punch at Naruto. The fight only stopped when the Naruto had taken so many hits, he wasn't quite able to get up anymore. Kou and Hinata walked away. Hinata's eyes stayed on the hurt Naruto for a while. She wanted to stay with him. She wanted to apologise. But she quietly followed Kou instead.

"Are you alright?" Naho looked at Naruto with big eyes herself. Something inside of her blamed herself for not stepping in and helping. But she wasn't someone to get involved in brawls. And even now that this other guy was gone, Naho somehow couldn't get herself to offer Naruto her hand. The blood running down his chin scared her. "Who was that?" she asked instead, watching Naruto get up from the ground himself.

"Hell, if I know. That guy always creeps around Hinata. I guess he's her guard or something." He swiped the blood away from his split lip.

"A guard? Why does she need a guard?"

They kept walking down the road, but Naruto's bubbly attitude was gone. Instead, he angrily sucked the blood from his lips, his eyes locked on the ground. "She's some sort of princess. The heiress to the Hyuga clan. Whatever that means. All people ever told me was to stay away from her."

Naho considered dropping the subject. A look at Naruto told her that he was close to exploding, his muscles tense with anger. And she was all alone with him again.

"She looks like a nice girl though," Naho eventually said, after they'd walked next to each other in silence for a while. She could instantly see Naruto's body loosen up. A soft smile even came back to his face.

"She is. We were in the same class at the Academy and she'd sometimes give me some chocolate or other sweets. But we never really talked much. She always ran away when I tried to thank her." He scratched his cheek, thinking. "I guess she might be a bit of a weirdo." Naruto stopped and looked up a building. "Well, here we are. Thanks for walking with me."

"Are you going to be fine? Your face is… I'm sure your parents will scold you for getting into a fight. Maybe you shouldn't have…"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, putting on a bright smile. "I don't have parents, so there is no one to scold me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Naho wanted to hit herself. She did know that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son. She'd heard people mention it here and there, and Naruto himself liked to point it out. History lessons taught her that the Fourth Hokage died over ten years ago. But somehow, the fact that Naruto had no parents still surprised Naho. So much she didn't quite know how to react. It was a mystery to her how he could straight out talk about it with a smile on his face. Was he happy his parents were dead? Naho shook her head, trying to get rid of such thoughts. She was an awful person, she realised. Naruto had invited her to dinner and told her about his dead parents, and all she could think about were some stupid rumours.

"Is there something wrong? You look like something's bothering you."

"What? No. I just… I'm sorry, I really didn't know about your parents."

"Huh? Don't worry. I never got to know them, so it's not like I could miss them."

Naho stared at him with big eyes. Pictures of her own parents flashed into her mind. Pictures of the parents she missed. And she suddenly had to blink back tears. "Thanks for the dinner." She didn't wait for Naruto to say anything, but turned away from him and ran off.

Naruto stared after her a while, confused if he'd said anything wrong. Then he entered the dark room that was his home. Clothes lay scattered on the floor, bowls with leftover milk were left on his only table, and a plethora of instant ramen cups filled the trash bin in the corner. Naruto took off his shoes and slumped onto bed. He had lied to Naho, he realised. He never knew his parents. He couldn't possibly miss something he never knew. Or could he? Because in that moment, he did miss his parents. Not his parents, but the idea of parents. Anyone who would be home to greet him. Who would look at the bruises on his face and show a sign of worry. He didn't know what he was missing. But he sure was missing something.

The doorbell rang.

"Naruto, you left your wallet at Ichiruka's. This is yours, right?" Iruka stood in front of his door, holding a green wallet looking like a toad. His familiar brown eyes changed into an expression Naruto had never seen on his face as he looked at the wounds on Naruto's face. "What happened? Did someone beat you up?" It was a weird expression. Not many people had looked at Naruto that way before.

"Oh, this? Just a small bruise. You should see the other guy." Naruto put on a smile as he bragged about things that never happened.

"Why do you always get into fights, Naruto? You really got a black eye there." Iruka walked past him. "Oh dear, what is this? When was the last time you tidied your room?"

Naruto observed him as he started picking up clothes from the floor and threw them onto one huge pile. He then went on to search Naruto's room for the health kit all Academy students were given during their basic wound care lessons. Naruto himself had no idea where he'd put it, but Iruka soon found it lying under the bed. He patched Naruto up, carefully disinfecting his wounds.

Was this what he'd been missing?


	8. Sakura's Decision

Sakura had invited her teacher and two teammates, Sasuke and Naho, for dinner. It had been her parents’ idea. They kept bothering her, saying they wanted to meet the man that was responsible for her safety, as well as the teammates she was going on missions with. So Sakura eventually gave in and invited them over.

Naho was the first to arrive that evening. For once, Sakura was happy to see her. She wasn’t sure if her mother and father could quite appreciate Sasuke’s coolness and the thought of being alone with him and her parents terrified her. Naho on the other hand was the perfect teammate to show to them, polite and boring, but, most importantly, a girl too. And not just any girl, but one that looked just as frail as Sakura herself, if not even more so with her reserved attitude. Maybe her parents would finally realise that girls could choose the life of a shinobi too. Even when they weren’t born into a clan and raised in that direction.

“This is Naho.” She showed Naho to the dining table and introduced her to her parents. The bell rang again soon after, and Sakura ran back to the door.

“Sorry for being late,” Kakashi said. “On my way I…”

“You don’t have to make up an excuse, Kakashi-sensei. You are on time, actually.” He looked at her somewhat surprised. “I’m not stupid. I averaged the time you came too late to our missions and gave you a different time accordingly.” A grin formed on her lips. “I guess I outsmarted you, sensei.” She stepped aside to let him in too.

“This is how trust-issues develop among teammates, Sakura,” he said casually as he stepped inside, hands stuck in his pockets.

In the dining room, her parents were already busy bombarding Naho with questions about her life as a shinobi. “I’m sure your parents are worried a lot about you too, aren’t they?” Sakura’s father asked just as she came back with Kakashi. Naho looked like she wanted to hide underneath the table.

“This is Kakashi-sensei.” Sakura interrupted them.

Her parents both jumped up from their chairs to greet him, throwing phrases of admiration at him. They had always thought that shinobi deserved the biggest respect possible for protecting the village and its people, just not when their own daughter was the shinobi in question.

“How’s my daughter holding up? I hope she’s not in the way too much?” Her father asked, showing Kakashi to his seat.

“Stop it, dad. We haven’t even started eating yet and you are already embarrassing me.”

“Where’s that other teammate of yours? Sasuke was his name, right?” her mother asked, looking at the clock.

Sakura looked at the time herself. He probably wouldn’t come, she realised. He never said he would. A short ‘I’ll think about it’ had been all she’d gotten from him. But maybe it was better that way, she told herself despite feeling disappointed. A dinner with her parents was definitely nothing that would help her win him over.

The bell rang again, and Sakura opened the door to Sasuke, who apologised for being late. Sakura stared at him for a moment, blushing. He truly came, to her house. She shook the thoughts away. There were still her more than embarrassing parents sitting at the dinner table, so this evening was far from being a success. She showed him inside.

Sasuke looked at the people sitting at the dinner table, realising Naruto was still missing as well. “Is Na-“, he started.

“Is Naho’s hair different? I thought so too. It looks really nice,” Sakura laughed, showing Sasuke to his seat. Naho touched her hair, throwing a surprised look at Sakura. “Let’s start eating since everyone who wanted to come is here.”

“What about Na-,“ Naho was about to ask about Naruto.

“Napkins? I’ll get some right away. Dad, you wanted to get to know my team, right? Well, here they are.” Sakura smiled the best smile her lips could offer.

“Right, so tell me Kakashi, how’s my daughter doing?”

Sakura sat down, holding back a big sigh.

“Sakura is doing well,” Kakashi said with a smile on his face. Sakura looked at him in surprise. “She’s really a smart one too.”

Her father nodded. “Yes, she’s always studied hard. Which is why I was thinking a scholarly career would be good for her.” The rest of the room was quiet as Sakura’s father kept on criticising his daughter’s life choices and offered his ideal alternatives. 

“Father, I thought you wanted to get to know my team? Can we just stop talking about me?” Sakura asked politely, clenching her fists only under the table.

Her father fell silent, and her mother started talking instead. “Naho-chan, are your parents shinobis too? I feel like most of Sakura’s classmates belonged to some clan.”

“No, they aren’t shinobis,” Naho said in a low voice.

“Was it hard for them to accept your decision?” Sakura’s father asked.

“You know, this baked salmon is really tasty, Mrs. Haruno. What are all these spices?” Kakashi smiled at Sakura’s mother, pointing at a dish with obvious fake excitement.

They talked about food briefly, but Naho could feel Sakura’s father looking at her, aware that she hadn’t answered his question yet. She grabbed her glass, drinking whenever another moment of silence occurred, hoping they would be too polite to interrupt her.

Sakura watched Sasuke, he kept on eating like nothing happened, silent as he always was. And maybe it all wasn’t as bad, Sakura thought. Her father was a strict man worried about his only daughter’s future. It was completely ordinary, she told herself.

“Naho, why don’t you and your parents come over for dinner some day too? My husband always gets so overly worried about Sakura, maybe talking to other parents in his position would do him good.” Sakura’s mother smiled at Naho, who still held her glass in front of her face.

Naho took another sip, and another, until the glass was empty. Slowly, she put the it back down on the table. “My parents are both dead. So I don’t really know what they think of me being a shinobi.”

There was surprise in everyone’s eyes except for Kakashi’s, who, of course, had received a background check of each of his students when assigned as their teacher. The room turned silent again.

* * *

  
After dinner, Sakura accompanied her guests outside. Naho was polite enough to thank her for dinner, before she and Sasuke both left into different directions, fleeing the scene. Kakashi stayed behind.

“You didn’t invite Naruto,” he noted.

“What? Yes, I did. He just didn’t have time to come tonight.”

“You tried hard to avoid his name from ever coming up.”

Sakura looked away. “You saw what my father thinks of me being a shinobi, right? My parents are scared of Naruto. They are convinced he is a monster. I couldn’t possibly tell them we are on the same team. They would straight up forbid me to ever leave the house again until I gave up on team 7.”

“Your parents will find out eventually. You can’t just pretend to not have anything to do with Naruto at all when you two spend most of your days together doing missions.” He sighed. “Besides, pretending your teammate doesn’t exist is not the teamwork I was talking about. How do you think Naruto will feel when he learns that you excluded him specifically from a dinner party?”

Sakura kept staring at her feet. Deep inside she knew her teacher was right. But there was no way she could tell her parents. She was doomed either way.

* * *

  
Team 7 met up at the training grounds the next morning. They had no mission assigned for the day, so Kakashi told them they’d be working on their ninja skills instead. Of course, he was running late once again. Naruto was the only one of the four to show up in a good mood, despite still having a black eye and bruises all across his face from his fight with Hinata’s bodyguard. Naho could barely look at Sakura. And Sasuke never seemed to be in a good mood to begin with, so Sakura wasn’t quite sure if he thought any different of her after getting to know her embarrassing father.

“What’s up with you?” Naruto asked, eyeing both Sakura and Naho. “Has anything happened?”

“Huh? No, of course not,” Sakura immediately said.

“You both look like something’s bothering you. Has Sasuke said mean things again?” His eyes narrowed at his teammate.

“You are the only one who’s a bother here,” Sasuke returned.

“Yo.” Kakashi appeared behind them, holding up his hand to greet them.

“Why are you always late?” Naruto complained.

“Well, I had to help a nice old lady carry her groceries.”

“What nice old lady is doing her groceries at 7 in the morning?” Naruto crossed his arms. Clearly their teacher didn’t care about punctuality even a bit.

“Today you guys are going to improve your chakra control.” Kakashi went on explaining the exercise, ignoring the looks Naruto threw at him. “Follow me.” They left the village and went further into the woods that surrounded Konoha until the trees around them became bigger and bigger.

“What are we doing here? Are you gonna teach us new jutsu?” Naruto looked around, but trees were all there was.

“No, I want you guys to improve your chakra control first. You might think you are proficient at this already, but this will be a difficult training that requires you to put your life on the line,” he said, trying to sound scary.

“What will we do?” Naruto became more excited instead of scared.

“Tree climbing.” He pointed upwards. “But you are not allowed to use your hands. And if all of you succeed, and I am talking about _all _of you, I’m willing to take you guys on a C-rank mission next.”

Naruto jumped up and down in excitement.

“Is climbing a tree without using hands even possible?” Sakura wondered.

Kakashi formed a sign to gather chakra at his feet, and went on to casually walk up a tree like he was taking a stroll in a park. “You have to accumulate exactly the required amount of chakra in your feet. It’s a very subtle amount that you’ll need, and the bottom of one’s feet is the most difficult place to gather chakra,” he explained, while hanging heads-down from a branch, hands still in his pockets. “This exercise is surprisingly difficult, so don’t take it lightly. However, of you do succeed, it will mean your chakra control has improved significantly and learning new jutsu will prove much easier.” He let himself fall down and landed in front of them. “But talking won’t really teach you. You’ll have to learn this by trying. Take out a kunai and mark how far you managed to climb. That way you can see your improvement.”

“Hah, this sounds easy enough.” Naruto pulled out a kunai and walked up to a tree.

“You better not be the reason we don’t get that C-rank mission.” Sasuke chose the tree next to Naruto to climb.

All four Genin formed the sign like their teacher did and gathered a small amount of chakra in their feet. Naruto really couldn’t feel any chakra building up at all, but he tried walking up the tree regardless. He put a foot on the bark, but it wouldn’t stick to it. Realising he didn’t have enough chakra in his feet, he formed the sign again and kept his foot pressed onto the tree. He figured he’d feel once it stuck to it, but he didn’t. Instead, the bark started to crack.

“Naruto, you are supposed to climb the tree, not chop it down,” Kakashi said, sitting in the shade reading.

The other three weren’t successful either, and everyone soon realised this was no task they’d complete in a day. Kakashi eventually gave them another advice, saying they might try running up instead of walking. Other than that, he quietly kept reading, leaving his students to figure it out themselves.

Sakura was the first who managed getting her feet stuck to the tree. She hung horizontally in the air for a few seconds, fighting to keep up both body tension as well as the amount of chakra she stored in her feet. Her feet eventually disconnected, and she fell down, landing on her butt. She was the first one to make some progress in their training, but also the first one to eventually sit down in exhaustion.

“How can you guys still be going? We’ve trained all day.” She leaned at the tree and looked at her three teammates. Naruto and Sasuke both tried running up again, and again. Neither of them was ready to stop. Naho too was still giving her best, though her approach seemed less passionate compared to the other two.

“It’s alright, Sakura.” Kakashi said, looking up from his book. “Some people just have more chakra reserves than others, so they get tired less rapidly. Your chakra control seems to be much better though, you were the only one to make real progress today. Good job.” He smiled at her.

“Hah, it was a piece of cake.” Sakura said, but couldn’t help feeling happy at the praise she received. “What’s that book you keep reading, Kakashi-sensei?_ Icha Icha Paradise_?” She read the title out loud, until her brain suddenly realised just what kind of book it was, and she started blushing. “How can you read something like that in public? And while you are training with us?!”

“It’s really gripping right now,” Kakashi casually said, turning a page.

Sasuke and Naruto kept on training until the sun started setting, and even then, had no intention of stopping. Kakashi told them to call it a day and go home. The two boys weren’t happy with themselves and their achievements. Sasuke had at least made some small progress, while Naruto felt like he had not achieved anything at all. This whole walking up trees seemed like a huge mystery to him, and hadn’t Kakashi showed him before, he’d be convinced it wasn’t possible after all.

* * *

  
The next morning, the four students met at the same spot again. Naruto had been there first and was already continuing his training when the others arrived. Kakashi only showed up around noon, when his students were already practicing on their own, and Sakura was able to take a few steps up the trees by the time he arrived.

“Mh, it seems like Sakura is the best at chakra control here. I guess she is closest to becoming Hokage right now, unlike someone else here,” Kakashi said when he arrived, glancing at Naruto.

Naruto’s frustration was growing as he still wasn’t making progress at all.

Sasuke sneered at Naruto’s lack of success, a gesture Kakashi didn’t miss.

“It also seems like the Uchiha clan isn’t that great either.” His teasing just added fuel to the inner fires of the two.

The team kept training, with everyone slowly getting the hang of it except for Naruto. He was visibly frustrated by the end of the day, refusing to go back to the village with the others. Kakashi knew it wasn’t his fault. It was the seal. But at this rate, Naruto wasn’t going to make any progress unless they removed it. At this rate, Naruto most likely wouldn’t be able to become a shinobi. At least none that used chakra.

“Naruto, tomorrow is another day. You won’t make any progress if you are all exhausted.” Kakashi tried his best to calm him down, but the boy wasn’t going to change his mind. He didn’t want to be the one to hold the team back.

“I’m not tired yet. I’ll just keep trying all night long. I’m not giving up just because the sun’s setting.”

Sasuke immediately turned around as well and rose to the challenge. If Naruto was still going, so would he. His chakra control was already a lot better than Naruto’s, but he couldn’t risk Naruto overtaking him in a night.

Sakura took a deep breath. “Are you guys for real? Every muscle in my body feels numb already. I really need my bed.”

“What should I do? I guess I could train some more, but…” Naho was talking to herself rather than anyone else.

Sakura’s body tensed at the thought that she might be the only one to call it a day. Leaving when everyone else continued training was not an option.

“It’s alright, girls. A shinobi needs to know when to rest too. You did well today.” Kakashi smiled at them, a smile they both gladly returned. He fairly easily convinced them to continue their training after a good night’s sleep.

* * *

  
Naruto and Sasuke were both leaning against a tree when Sakura and Naho arrived at their training spot again the next morning. They were fast asleep. Sakura blushed looking at the peacefully sleeping Sasuke. She was about to go into raptures over the cute look on his face. The frown he usually wore was completely gone. But the moment didn’t last long. Sasuke woke up as soon as the two girls got close to him.

He looked around in confusion for a moment, wondering why he wasn’t in his bed. “Did I fall asleep? What time is it?” The tree behind Sasuke showed the progress he’d made overnight. The mark moved further up. Not by much, but it did. Naruto’s tree had no new marks at all. Only some more cracked bark that looked like Naruto had punched it in frustration.

Naruto woke up in a similar manner to Sasuke, except that there was a lot more yawning, stretching and disorientation involved. A fight between the two broke out as soon as Naruto realised that Sasuke had made more progress than him. Sasuke called him a loser. Naruto claimed he was just taking it slow for now but would catch up soon.

“Sakura, can you give me some advice, please?” Naruto approached her as soon as Sasuke had gone back to training.

Sakura was proud of herself. This was the first real assignment their teacher had given them, and she proved the most talented. Naho stood next to them, listening carefully to what Sakura had to say. Even Sasuke blinked into their direction every once in a while, too proud to ask for advice himself.

The three talked for a while. It was a bright day and even the sun rays found their way through the tree crowns to greet them. Someone approached. Sasuke was the first to notice, though he didn’t say anything. The other three soon realised too. It was obvious it wasn’t Kakashi. They never heard Kakashi approach. This person stepped on dry leaves and little branches. And soon, Sakura’s mother appeared from behind a tree, carrying a bag filled with food.

Sakura instantly dashed towards her, asking her what she was doing there, trying her best to block her mother’s view from Naruto. But it was too late.

“You forgot your bento this morning. Having a full belly is important when training all day, so I thought I…” Her eyes fell on Naruto. “What is he doing here, Sakura?” Her voice was almost a whisper.

“Nothing, mom. Thanks for bringing me my lunch. You can leave again.”

“You were talking to him right now. Why? Why is he here?” Her mother rose her voice.

“Please, mom. We used to be in the same class. We sometimes talk. That’s all.” Sakura tried to pull her away. But this was not a topic her mother would just let slide.

“Your father and I told you again and again that we want you to stay away from him.” She was visibly angry with her daughter. “I already have to listen to your father complain all day because you are out doing dangerous missions. What do you think he’ll say once he hears you are acquainted with that boy?”

Naho’s eyes fell on Naruto. They could hear every word Sakura’s mother threw at her daughter. And they weren’t nice words. Naruto only stared at the ground, but Naho could see his body tense up. She looked at Sasuke for help, who had stopped his training to observe the scene playing in front of him, but it didn’t seem like he was going to get involved.

Naruto wasn’t someone to stay quiet for long though when someone did him wrong. So eventually, he stomped towards Sakura and her mother, who instantly took a few steps backwards.

“Shut up,” he yelled at her. “You already stared at me with that weird face of yours on the day of the graduation ceremony. What did I do to you?”

“Naruto, stop it. She doesn’t mean it that way.” Sakura still tried her best to keep the scene from escalating.

“No, Sakura. I’m sorry I’m telling this to your mom of all people. Because I like you, and I really want your mom to like me too, but I can’t stand the way she looks at me. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of everyone treating me like a monster just because…” He stopped. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Stop treating me like I did. Sakura is my teammate, so suck it up.”

The leaves around them rustled in the wind. It was the only sound there was, as Sakura’s mother stared at her daughter with an open mouth. Her face slowly lost all its colour. “Teammate?” she eventually stumbled. “Why is he calling you his teammate, Sakura?”

Sakura was about to tell an excuse, but Naruto cut her off. “Don’t look so confused. Sakura and I are a team. We’ve been doing missions together for the last weeks, so you better get used to seeing me with her.”

“Sakura.” Her mother frowned at her. “Why did we know nothing of this? I thought Sasuke and Naho are your teammates. If your father hears of this…” She turned around, arms crossed in front of her. Her eyes lingered on Naruto. His presence made her nervous.

“Can’t you just not tell dad?” Sakura knew that her mother was the more reasonable of the two. And the one who was more likely to give in. But if her father knew, her life as a shinobi would turn out to be a short one.

“I’m not going to lie to him like you did all these weeks. No wonder you acted so weird when we invited your team for dinner. I knew there was something up.” Sakura’s mother went on to tell her daughter that she’d better think about an explanation for this situation to her father once she’d get home. Then she handed her daughter the bento and reluctantly left her and Naruto alone.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, arms crossed behind his head.

“Naruto!” Sakura punched his shoulder. “I know she’s annoying at times, but that’s still my mother you’re pointing your tongue at. So mind your manners!”

Naruto’s muscles loosened up again as he apologised to her, until another realisation hit him. “Argh, what will our wedding day be like if your mother already hates me? Will they even approve of our marriage?”

Sakura hit him again, and again. “Stop saying nonsense that will never happen! There’s only one guy here that I’m going to marry and it’s not you!”

Naruto did his best to dodge Sakura’s punches, but some still hit, and they hit good. She eventually stopped after landing an especially good one.

“But what was that dinner your mother was talking about?” Naruto eventually asked.

“Oh, that was nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Did you have a dinner party with the others?” He could see that Sakura was holding something back, so he turned to Naho. “What dinner party?”

Naho looked like she’d been struck by lightning all of a sudden. She stuttered, her cheeks red. Obviously, Sakura didn’t want her to say anything. Obviously, Naruto wanted her to say everything. It wasn’t a situation Naho liked being in. If she could have vanished in the ground, she would have done so.

“Sakura invited us to a dinner party two days ago to meet her parents,” Sasuke eventually said. His voice was calm, and for once, he didn’t seem to be teasing Naruto.

Naruto looked at Sakura again, who now as well wished for a way to just dissolve into thin air. “You never invited me,” Naruto realised.

“It wasn’t really a big deal. Honestly, you should be happy you didn’t have to come. My parents are really annoying.”

Naruto wasn’t angry. He’d felt angry at Sakura’s mother just now. But the feeling inside of him now was a different one. One that felt even worse.

“I see,” he said, scratching his cheek. “Well, it’s almost noon and I haven’t even had breakfast yet. My stomach’s been rumbling all night long, I should really get something to eat before I continue training.” He gave her a short smile and ran off before Sakura could say another word.

* * *

  
When Kakashi arrived at their training spot, Naruto was nowhere to be seen. The silence immediately alarmed the teacher. His team was not a quiet team.

“Naho,” he called the girl over. Sasuke had been training ever since Kakashi arrived, and Sakura was sitting on some branch and tore leaves apart with a gloomy look on her face. “Fill me in on what happened here.”

The girl shortly explained the meeting between Naruto, Sakura and her mother.

“I see. So what are you going to do about it? Internal conflict can prove fatal for both missions and your own lives,” he said with a wagging finger. 

“Me? Why me? I didn’t do anything.”

Because you are the team leader for today.” The girl looked at him with big, confused eyes. “It’s a new rule as of today. From now on, every day I will assign a new team leader. And a team leader naturally has to deal with situations like these.” He smiled at her. “Congratulations, for today, I chose you.”

“But… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“This is a learning opportunity. I’m sure you will figure it out.” He walked away, proud of the idea he’d just come up with. This way, his students were forced to deal with their issues on their own while he could sit down again to continue his read.

Naho sat down in the shades of a tree, resisting the urge to hit her head against it. A sudden flashback to their introduction round came to her mind. When she’d been asked about her dislikes, she couldn’t think of anything. But now she’d have an answer. She disliked conflict, people being angry at each other. Only now did she realise what a peaceful childhood she’d had. Her parents never argued. Neither with themselves nor with her. And her best friends used to be a cow and a horse. They hadn’t exactly been into arguments either. Was she supposed to know how to deal with situations like this? Because she didn’t.

Sasuke was still running up the tree again and again. It seemed he kept out of the situation completely. Naho would have liked to do the same. Sakura had gone from ripping apart leaves to breaking branches. Naho didn’t know what was going on in the two. She barely knew anything about them. Even Naruto who usually talked all day long was more of a stranger to her than a friend. And there was so much she didn’t understand about him.

“Kakashi-sensei.” Naho walked over to her teacher again and sat down next to him. “Who exactly is Naruto?” The question sounded weird once it had passed her lips. Weird and out of place. “I mean, Naruto says he’s the son of the Fourth Hokage. But I’ve heard people in the village call him a liar. Instead, they said that… he is a monster. Sakura’s mother seemed to hate him too.”

“You’ve met Naruto personally. You should know who he is.”

Naho was about to get discouraged from her teacher’s evasive answer. She wasn’t someone to push matters. But this had been on her mind for too long. “If you want me to solve this problem, I should know all the background information, right?”

Kakashi sighed. “Usually it would be best to ask Naruto himself about his past. But I guess in this instance, I’ll make an exception and tell you about it. It’s a bit complicated. It’s true that Naruto is the Fourth Hokage’s son. But it’s also true that one of the nine demons has been sealed inside of him. It was Naruto’s father that sealed they Kyuubi in Naruto 12 years ago.”

“His own father? Why would he do that?”

“I’m sure it was no easy decision. But you have to understand that these demons only bring destruction if they ever break out from a seal. It’s said that they destroyed whole countries in the past. And 12 years ago, the Kyuubi threatened to destroy Konoha. All the Fourth Hokage could do was to seal it away again.”

“But why would he seal it in his own son? It seems like such a cruel thing to do.”

“Sealing a demon is no easy task. But the younger the vessel, the higher the chances are that the sealing succeeds. And Naruto had only been born that day. He was Minato’s best bet at succeeding before he died.”

Naho had read about the incident. She knew that the Fourth Hokage died that day, protecting the village from the Kyuubi. But she hadn’t known that he sealed the Kyuubi inside Naruto that very day.

“But also,” Kakashi added. “A person able to control one of these demon… has the capability to become one of the strongest shinobi to ever walk these lands. Minato probably thought his son could do it.”

“But, that’s no reason for everyone to be this mean to Naruto. It’s not his fault that his father sealed the Kyuubi inside him. If anything, they should be thankful to Naruto, right?”

Kakashi put a hand on her head, smiling. “You are right. Without Naruto to hold the demon in, Konoha might not exist anymore. But the older generation has seen what destruction the Kyuubi brings. Many have lost loved ones because of it. It’s not that they hate Naruto, they fear what’s inside of him. They wish Naruto and the Kyuubi would be gone. But they don’t understand that a demon is never gone.” The girl looked at him with big, curious eyes. “That’s enough for now. Naruto is Naruto. That’s the important part you have to remember.” He opened his book again where he’d left off.

Naho kept sitting next to him. She still had so many questions. But her teacher was right. Naruto was Naruto.

* * *

  
The day they first met, Tenten told Naho that girls were supposed to always have each other’s back. Because life as a kunoichi was hard enough already. That day, Naho and Tenten became friends. Tenten always told her that she wished for another girl on her team. Neji and Lee always had a special connection, a certain rivalry. Tenten wanted something like that.

Naho now had this other female teammate. Yet that invisible connection between two kunoichi Tenten always talked about was completely missing between the two.

She jumped up on the branch Sakura was sitting on. In her mind she repeated the words she’d worked out over and over again.

“What do you want?” Sakura’s blunt question threw Naho off.

“Kakashi-sensei said that you and Naruto are supposed to make up.” It wasn’t what she’d thought of initially, but the first thing that came to her mind now.

“There is nothing to make up. I didn’t do anything wrong. It was just a stupid dinner party.” Sakura didn’t look at her.

“But… I think you made Naruto sad by not inviting him. Can’t you just apologise?”

“And then what?” She turned her head to Naho. There were tears in her eyes that she tried to blink away. “What good would it do? My father won’t allow me to stay on team 7, so from tomorrow on I’ll be gone anyway.”

“But you want to be a shinobi, right? Your father should understand.”

Sakura laughed at her. “You don’t understand my situation at all. My father does what he thinks is best for me. It’s always been like that. My parents have had very precise plans for my life. Becoming a shinobi was the first decision I made for myself.” She sighed and her eyes rested on Sasuke for a moment, who was still doing tree-training. “If I’m lucky he might allow me to change teams.”

“Maybe you should talk to Kakashi-sensei about this. He might know what to do.”

“There’s nothing to do about it.” Sakura jumped down the branch and swiftly landed on the ground. “I don’t feel like training anymore.”

Naho sighed, burying her face in her hands. “This was awful,” she mumbled to herself. “I didn’t help at all.” She looked back at Sakura, who was on her way back to the village, ignoring Kakashi’s question where she was going.

Sasuke suddenly jumped in front of her, involving himself in the matter for the first time. “You three take training very lightly today,” he said, his eyes locked on Sakura’s. “I’m not letting myself get held back by your childish problems. So I hope you are on your way to get Naruto back, because he really needs this training.”

Sakura’s eyes were big from surprise at Sasuke’s words. But she soon averted her eyes and walked past him, leaving him and her team behind.

* * *

  
The two shinobi guarding Konoha’s main gate completely ignored Sakura as she entered the village again. Sakura felt sick. Her life didn’t feel like her life anymore. Everything had been fine just an hour ago, but now her whole life was different. She’d worked so hard to become a Genin, and then fate put her on the same team as Sasuke. But now, that was all gone. Because of Naruto.

She bit her lips. It wasn’t Naruto’s fault. She knew that. Yet she couldn’t help feeling bitter.

Some merchants passed her, leaving Konoha with their carts to go trading in other villages. Two shinobi accompanied them. Hiring a shinobi was not cheap, but it did make sure that nothing happened to them outside the safety of Konoha’s walls. The most important rules on guarding clients popped into Sakura’s head. She knew them all by heart.

Further down the street, Sakura suddenly ran into Naruto. He was carrying a bag and seemed to be on his way back to their training spot.

“Oh, Sakura-chan. Why are you here? Are you done training yet?” Naruto smiled at her, and for a moment, Sakura wondered if she’d only imagined her fight with her mother.

“I’m going home.”

“What? Why?” He held up the bag. “I bought some mochi for all of us, so we can have a nice break together later.”

Sakura couldn’t get her eyes off of the smile on Naruto’s lips. “Aren’t you angry with me?”

“Huh? Why would I?” He scratched the bag of his head. “I mean, I was a bit disappointed. I’ve never been to a dinner party and I’d really liked to go, but… I’m just happy that we can all have lunch together during missions and training. So you are coming back later, right? Don’t take too long or I might eat your mochi.” Naruto waved at her and ran ahead towards the gate.

Sakura stared after him for a while. She truly couldn’t blame him. In no world was any of this mess Naruto’s fault. It was her parents. And she knew that as soon as she reached her parent’s house, there was a decision that had to be made.

* * *

  
It was dark outside by the time Sakura’s father came home from work. She was upstairs in her room, but she heard the front door open and close. Then she heard her parents talk. And soon after she heard them call her name. Sakura took a deep breath and went downstairs.

Her father was sitting at the dinner table, waiting for his daughter to sit down too. Her mother vanished back in the kitchen to prepare dinner.

“Your mother just told me that Naruto Namikaze is part of your team. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Sakura didn’t say anything. The answer seemed too obvious to her.

“You lied to us, Sakura. I’m disappointed.”

“You made me lie,” she interrupted.

“Quiet. You knew that staying away from that boy was the one condition you had to meet to go to the Academy.”

“I’m not at the Academy anymore. And besides, we were assigned the same team. What did you expect me to do?”

Her father’s eyes narrowed, but he still kept his calm. “You should have told us for starters. I could have talked to the Hokage.”

Sakura laughed, but she couldn’t get herself to look at her father. “You really wanted to talk to the Lord Hokage because of that? You think he’d really care about your complaints? The Hokage has better things to do.”

“Show some respect, Sakura.” He rose his voice. “I might not be a shinobi, but I’m still your father.”

Sakura lowered her head. She didn’t mean to be disrespectful. But somehow it felt harder and harder to truly respect her father.

“Your mother and I have always supported you, Sakura. We’ve always made sure that you had the best life possible. And yet you go ahead and betray our trust.”

“You’ve not supported me.” She interrupted him again. “I know you always bought me every book I needed, and payed the fees for the Academy, and you always praised me for good grades. But you never truly supported me. You never wanted me to succeed. You never wanted me to be a shinobi.”

“Of course, I never wanted you to be a shinobi!” he now yelled at her. “You are my daughter. It’s my duty to protect you! Why would I want you to become a shinobi who has to risk their life for others? I love you, Sakura. You are the most precious thing to me. Which is why I will _not _allow you to continue working with this team of yours. I’m done watching you act like an adult who knows what’s best for them. Because you don’t. You are a child.”

“I’m not.” Sakura wanted to protest, but this time it was her father who cut her off again.

“You are. You’ve not seen war. You’ve not seen fighting and death. And you have not seen what this Naruto boy truly is.”

“Naruto is my friend!” Sakura stood up, pushing the chair away from her so hard that it fell over and crashed on the floor with a loud bang. 

“He is a monster.”

“You don’t even know him. You act like you know all about being a shinobi, but you aren’t even one yourself. You have no idea at all! I’m not giving up on being a shinobi. I’ve worked hard for this. And I’m definitely not giving up on Naruto and my team. You can’t force me to. Because even if _you _might be convinced that I’m a child, legally I’m not. I’m a Genin. I can make my own decisions.”

Her father was quiet. It irritated her. She didn’t expect him to be this calm and reserved.

“As long as you live in my house and eat from my table, you are my child, and you will do as I say. And I say that you will _not_ continue on your path as a ninja. This conversation is over.”

Sakura was still standing. The chair was lying on the floor behind her. Her mother kept glancing in their direction, but didn’t involve herself. “It really is over.” Sakura turned around and went back upstairs. Discussing this matter any further with her father had no use. She pulled a backpack out from her closet and started filling it with clothes. This truly was over.

Sakura’s father was visibly irritated when he saw his daughter come down the stairs again with a big backpack and another bag in her hands. The argument had been won on his side, or so he thought.

“Sakura, what are you doing? Dinner is ready,” her mother said, putting the last pot on the table.

“I’m leaving.” She made her way straight to the front door.

“What do you mean you are leaving?” Her mother walked after her.

“If I’m not able to make my own decisions and choose my own friends as long as I live in this house, then I’d rather leave.” Her eyes only shortly stayed on her father, before she turned around and ran outside.

Her parents both followed her, yelling after her to come back, but they couldn’t catch up to their ninja daughter. And with that, Sakura vanished in the night.

* * *

  
Sakura sat on a bench, hugging the backpack she kept on her lap. It was late already, and the only people that ever passed her seemed to be on their way home after a long day of work. Where was her home now? When she’d made the decision to leave her parents, she hadn’t exactly thought about where to go. _Away _had been the only plan she’d had. But she couldn’t possibly spend the night on a bench outside. And, more importantly, she couldn’t just go to her training session the next day without taking a shower first. She had enough money to stay at a hotel for one or two nights, but if they didn’t continue doing missions soon again, she wouldn’t even be able to pay for food.

“Hey, billboard brow.” It was a familiar voice Sakura hadn’t heard since they’d been assigned their Genin teams.

When she looked up, she saw Ino standing in front of her with her team. They looked like they’d just come back from a mission, with backpacks on their backs and kunai dangling at their waists.

“What’s up with you? Did your team leave you here because of how useless you are?” Ino had her arms crossed in front of her, with a confident look on her face. She seemed glad to find Sakura all alone.

“Hurry up, Ino. Choji might starve if we don’t make it to the barbecue soon.” Asuma waited for his student while the other two had already gone ahead.

Ino nodded at her teacher, before turning her attention back to Sakura. “Where’s Sasuke? I should invite him to dinner, so he can spend some time with actual capable clan members.”

“Just get lost, Ino.” Sakura didn’t look at her. She wasn’t in the mood of arguing with her former best friend.

Ino’s smile slowly vanished as she realised that Sakura didn’t rise to the challenge she’d thrown at her. Without saying another word, she left to go after her teacher and teammates

Sakura was alone once again. She sighed at the thought that a few years ago, Ino would have been the first person she’d turned to in this situation. But they’d broken up their friendship over a boy. Sakura had broken up their friendship over a boy. Over Sasuke. Yet Sasuke didn’t care about her one bit even after being teammates for weeks. Another sigh left her. She thought back to the day she first met Sasuke, and a little smile found its way back on her lips. She’d met him the same day when she decided to become a shinobi. A feeling of nostalgia overcame her as she closed her eyes to dwell in old memories. Memories of when she first decided to change herself. When she decided to become a shinobi, to love Sasuke, and to become strong and independent. It all happened on the same day, yet she had reached none of those goals yet.

“Sakura.” Ino approached her once again. This time, she was alone. “Why are you sitting there all alone like a lost child?”

“What’s that to you?” Sakura’s answer was sharp. Too sharp, as she suddenly realised that there was no teasing in Ino’s voice. “Sorry,” she added. “I had an argument with my parents.”

Ino’s gaze fell on the big backpack in her arms. “I guess you are missing a best friend to crash at these days, huh?” She once again crossed her arms in front of her, and her sassy tone returned.

Sakura instantly regretted having said anything. She should have just told Ino to get lost again.

A smile formed on Ino’s lips. “Why don’t you come to my place later? I can’t just let a poor puppy sit at the side of the road all night.”

“I don’t need your help anymore.”

“Are you sure about that?” There was a moment of silence between the two, until Ino eventually held out her hand to Sakura. “Come on. Everyone needs help sometimes. We can continue fighting each other once you got a roof over your head again.”

Sakura’s eyes widened as she looked at Ino’s hand reaching out to her. Where was this hand coming from? She almost expected Ino to pull it back again and stick her tongue out at Sakura if she tried to take it. But Ino never did. Instead, she softly closed her fingers around Sakura’s and pulled her up from the bench. Sakura thought she was dreaming. How where there all these good people in her life? How could Naruto just go and buy her mochi after a fight, and how could Ino just offer her hand to her after they’d been arguing over Sasuke for years? How were they not bitter? And when had she become so bitter?

“Close your mouth or a fly might land in there.” Ino took the bag from Sakura and pulled her along.

“Where are we going?”

“Back to the barbecue. I left after we ordered the first round because you behaved so strangely. I don’t even remember the last time you didn’t insult me back in an instant.” Ino laughed. It was a still familiar laugh, even though Ino hadn’t shared it with her for years.

“But why, Ino? Why would you care?”

“Huh? You are my rival, aren’t you? Rivals have to look out for each other, because if they didn’t exist, there’d be no reason for you to try and improve yourself anymore. Also, it’s hard not to worry about those sad big eyes of yours.”

Sakura still didn’t understand. But she also didn’t stop Ino from leading her all the way back to the barbecue restaurant to have dinner with her and her team. And she didn’t stop her from preparing a bed next to hers later. She had admired Ino half her life. Right until the point that she’d decided to lead her own life and become her own person. Yet now, all these feelings returned. And she couldn’t help but wish to be just a little bit more like Ino once again.


	9. The Seal Removed

Kakashi was on his way to his students, wondering in what kind of mood he'd find them. Naho's social skills proved rather lacklustre from what he'd seen. Though he couldn't blame her. Social skills were not his special subject either, and it wasn't something that could be learned by simply studying books.

To Kakashi's surprise, all four of his students were already at the training spot and busy practicing their tree-climbing when he arrived. Sakura even had a smile on her face as she showed him her progress. She was able to walk up most of the tree. He didn't question the sudden normality that had returned. It was a good thing, and good things were not supposed to be questioned.

During lunch time, Kakashi carefully observed his students. It was the first time Sakura didn't bring a homemade bento, but something from the supermarket instead. Yet it was still much healthier than Naruto's food, who usually brought chips and cookies for lunch. Kakashi often reminded him that vegetables were part of a healthy diet. It was something the boy hadn't quite grasped yet.

"Naruto, you know that veggies help you with your chakra control, right?" Kakashi tried again.

Naruto almost dropped his chocolate cookie. "Do they really? I guess that's why Sakura is so good at tree-walking." Naruto nodded to himself. "Hey, Sakura-chan. Will you share your salad with me? You can also have some of these cookies."

"Keep your dirty hands off my food," Sakura yelled, slapping Naruto's hand away. "I'm on a diet. I'm not eating those sugar bombs."

"But I need to get better at chakra control," Naruto pleaded.

"Pathetic." Sasuke was talking more to himself than to anyone, but it was a remark that didn't miss Naruto's ears.

"You shouldn't be talking, idiot! You can't even reach the top of your tree yourself."

"At least I can get my feet to stick," Sasuke fired back immediately.

"Shut up, Naruto. Sasuke is way better than you are!" Sakura immediately defended Sasuke like she always did. She was ready to punch Naruto once again, but stopped halfway through. "Actually…" She bit her lips, before turning them to a soft smile. "Why don't we all have dinner together at Ichiraku's today? I'm really sorry for not inviting you, Naruto. It was a team dinner after all. I want to make up for it."

Kakashi's bored eyes widened a bit as he watched the scene in front of him.

"I told you, it's no big deal," Naruto returned with an even bigger smile on his face. "You don't have to make up for anything, but… Going to Ichiraku's together sounds great!"

They laughed together and Sakura went on to make sure that both Naho and Sasuke would join them.

"You are coming too, right Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I'm sorry. I think there's something I have to do after training today."

"Why? You are part of our team too. You have to come sensei," Naruto protested loudly.

"Yes, please. I can't make this up to Naruto if the team dinner isn't really a team dinner again."

Kakashi couldn't help but smile at his two pleading students. There wasn't a single other person in the village except for Gai who showed as much interest in his presence. "I might go now and see if I can take care of matters. Seems like you guys are doing fine practicing without me. But if I'm not back until nightfall, feel free to go without me."

Naruto's smile vanished. "But… Kakashi-sensei… Don't you think you should give us some tips again? I mean, look at Sasuke. He's practically dying for some more advice, but is just too proud to ask."

"Naruto, you…" The frown Sasuke usually wore on his forehead intensified.

"I know, I know," Kakashi interrupted their emerging fight. "Don't worry, Naruto. I might have an idea. I'll tell you about it later." He held up his hand to say goodbye and vanished before his students could say another word.

* * *

"I want to remove Naruto's outer seal," Kakashi said, standing in front of the Hokage's desk in his office. The Third Hokage showed no sign of surprise at the sudden suggestion. "I believe that Naruto has grown quite a lot over the last few years. He adores both Sakura and Naho. And even Sasuke, though he'd never admit it. I think he deserves another chance at trying to control the Kyuubi. Because if we don't give him that chance, he will never exceed the Genin level. You would have to transfer him to Gai's team to at least give him a chance of succeeding with taijutsu alone. For most ninjutsu, the seal simply messes with his chakra flow too much."

The Hokage's eyes moved to Minato's picture hanging on the wall. Kakashi didn't follow them. He didn't need to look at his former teacher. "I always hoped that this boy would carry on Minato's will and become his legacy," the Hokage said, turning his attention back to Kakashi. "But I'm not sure if he can do it, Kakashi. I'm not sure the friends he's made make a different."

"It's not like we have to fear the Kyuubi breaking out. The inner seal will remain. And we can always renew the outer seal if it causes problems." Kakashi argued calmly and collected. He could understand the Hokage's feelings. But he didn't want to be emotionally invested in this. All he cared for was to give his student the best possible conditions to succeed in his training. "Besides, I'm sure those Anbu that follow Naruto around on every step are quite capable," he added.

The Hokage stood up, folding his arms behind his back. He looked out of the window, watching over his village. "I expected someone like you to notice. I'd appreciate it though if you ignored their presence. They are no more than a last resort."

"Lord Third, I'm not here to talk you around and convince you. But I think there was a reason you assigned Naruto to me. There has not been a single incident since Naruto has received the outer seal. He is no threat for anyone as long as the seal is working. If you planned on keeping the outer seal intact, you should have assigned him to Gai's squad. Gai could make a fine shinobi out of Naruto by turning him into a taijutsu specialist. There'd be no need to remove the seal. But instead, you assigned him to my team. To me, one of the few people in this village somewhat capable of restricting the Kyuubi from breaking out."

A soft smile formed on the Hokage's lips. "Giving up hope has never been a virtue of mine. But this decision is too important. I shall ask for a second opinion." The Hokage opened the window and a bird landed on the sill. He whispered some short words and it flew away again.

Kakashi waited patiently. It didn't take long until an Anbu member appeared on the roof outside the office. She stepped inside and bowed to the Lord Hokage before positioning herself next to Kakashi. Kakashi wondered if he knew her from his own time in the Anbu, but he didn't recognise her. At least not while she was wearing her mask. Her long blond hair was the only visible characteristic setting her apart from other Anbu.

"You called, Lord Third."

"Yes, I was just having a conversation with Kakashi about Naruto's outer seal. We are thinking about removing it and would like your opinion. There is no one who's watched Naruto more closely than you these last years."

The Anbu stood upright. No muscle in her body seemed relaxed. It was a stark contrast to Kakashi, who had his hands in his pockets and looked straight out of bed. "My apologies, my Lord. I don't believe my opinion matters in this decision. All that I can do is to assure you that me and my team feel confident in our restraining and sealing abilities."

"I have faith in your abilities. But I would like your opinion on how Naruto will handle it."

There was a moment of silence as the Anbu was carefully considering her choice of words. "We know it is fact that Naruto hasn't handled it too well in the past," she said. "But Naruto was still very young at that age. I believe he could handle it better now."

The Hokage turned their back on them again to look at his village once more. "A Jinchuuriki who is capable of controlling the power of their Bijuu greatly increases the strength of any village. If there is any chance Naruto can achieve this, we have to try again. Tell your teammates that Kakashi has my approval to remove Naruto's outer seal, Komachi."

"Yes, Lord Third." The Anbu bowed again.

Kakashi also nodded at him. He looked at the Anbu woman for only a short moment before left them, wondering who this woman was who devoted her whole life to watching Naruto from the shadows.

"You disapprove of my decision," the Hokage said as soon as Kakashi closed the door behind him.

"You gave me the order to watch over Naruto and Naruto alone. And to make sure the Kyuubi shall never break out again. Those are the orders I strive to fulfil. You based your decision on the greatest benefit for the village, that is, if Naruto succeeds. I respect that decision. It is the decision a Hokage should make. But the orders you gave me don't allow me to approve this decision. It might as well break Naruto if it goes wrong."

* * *

Kakashi left the Hokage building and walked down the streets. He stopped by the flower shop before continuing his way to the cemetery to place fresh flowers on Rin's grave, making sure everything was tidy and in order. It was early, and his students would still be busy practicing their chakra control for a few hours. So Kakashi decided to stay with Rin, telling her of Naruto and his resemblance to both Minato and Obito. He stayed for quite a while, dwelling in old memories of the past and of times that were lost forever, before continuing to Obito's grave.

Obito didn't have an actual grave. He had been part of the casualties of the Third Ninja War, and his sacrifice was thus honoured by a memorial. His body had never been found. It was lost forever in a foreign country, far from home.

Kakashi sat down next to the memorial and started reading. He'd been lucky the nearby training grounds were vacant and he could enjoy the silence around him. He kept reading until the sun started setting and light became scarce around him. His students would go to have dinner soon, he realised. But he didn't have the energy to get up and spend the evening with four kids, despite their earlier pleads for him to join. He lay down, blades of grass stroked his cheeks. The first stars were already visible. He watched as one after the other appeared, knowing that he'd soon have to talk to Naruto. But not yet. For now, he dwelled in the solitude that felt so familiar to him.

* * *

The members of team 7 were still in the woods, despite the moon being the only light source left to them. Sasuke was leaning against a tree, arms crossed in front of him.

"Either we go and have dinner now or I'm leaving. I have better things to do than wait for Kakashi," he said, wearing his familiar frown.

"I can't believe this guy," Sakura started complaining. "He barely teaches us anything. Just sits around reading and then vanishes for most of the day. And now he doesn't even show up for our team dinner."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I'm sure he knows more tricks for tree-walking that he just doesn't tell us."

They both turned to Naho, who cringed at the sudden attention.

"Don't you have anything to say, Naho?" Sakura asked in a demanding tone. Naho was clearly confused and didn't have anything to say at all. "You never complain. You are way too nice!"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Naho. Come on, say something bad about Kakashi-sensei. He's not here to hear it anyway." A dirty grin formed on Naruto's face, who didn't mind badmouthing his teacher behind his back at all.

Naho blushed, which was barely visible to the others in the dim light around them. "Why should I?"

"Hehe, come on, just one tiny mean word." Naruto started pinching her cheek.

Sasuke straightened himself and walked past them. "Let's just go. He's not coming anymore. I'm not waiting any longer."

Sakura immediately ran after him and linked arms with him. Naruto did the same, trying to link arms with Sakura instead, which did nothing but earn him a big knock on his head. So he walked behind them together with Naho, who had to smile at the exaggerated disappointment in Naruto's face. And together, they made their way back to Konoha and to the ramen shop, looking forward to spending the evening not alone, but with their teammates. 

* * *

When Naruto opened the door to his flat, Kakashi was sitting at his table, looking at some milk he'd left there in the morning.

"Yo," his teacher greeted him. "You know this milk is already expired, right?"

"What are you doing in my flat, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto yelled, slamming the door shut behind him.

"You left the window open. If I wanted to rob all this expired milk from you, you'd make it very easy for me."

Naruto took the bottle away from him and threw it at a trash can that was already overflowing with old packaging. "Why didn't you come to dinner?"

"Sorry, sorry." He scratched his head. "I had a really important meeting with the Hokage. Actually, it was about you, Naruto."

"About me?" Naruto looked at him in confusion for a moment, but then sheer horror made its way onto his face. "Please, sensei. I know I haven't made a lot of progress lately, but I'm sure I can master tree-walking. I will keep practicing! Actually, I was just on my way to go there again." Naruto was about to put on the shoes that he'd just thrown into a corner. He was sure that Kakashi came to tell him he failed becoming a shinobi after all.

"That's not it, Naruto. We were talking about your seals that keep the Kyuubi locked away."

Naruto stopped what he was doing. "Huh? Is there something wrong with it?" He didn't know much about his own seals. He only knew they were there, somewhere at least, though he couldn't even see them. Sometimes he even wondered if people were only fooling with him when they said there was a monster sealed away inside of him. How would a monster fit into a human body? And how come he never noticed anything?

"I think the seal is what makes it so hard for you to control your chakra. That's why I was talking to the Hokage about removing it. The outer seal, that is. The main seal will stay intact. But it should still improve your chakra control drastically."

Naruto's face lit up in an instant. "Really? So I will be able to walk up the tree?"

"It should be easier, yes. But there is a downside too, Naruto. The outer seal makes sure that the Kyuubi's chakra is almost completely sealed off. If I remove it, controlling the demon in you will become much more difficult for you."

Naruto laughed at his teacher's words. "I don't care about that weird demon. I've never had problems with it, so go ahead! I want the seal off. I need to become a strong shinobi like my dad after all." Naruto was filled with excitement. He was convinced everything would get better once the seal was off. He would get better.

"Naruto, you should really think about this carefully before making your decision. The Kyuubi is a real threat. If it should ever break out from its seal, it could destroy all of Konoha. And even if it doesn't break out completely, it could still cause harm to those around you."

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and looked at Kakashi rather unimpressed. "What do you mean hurt those around me? Everyone always makes such a big deal out of this monster, but how dangerous can it be if it lets itself get sealed away inside of me this easily?"

Kakashi sighed. Naruto, despite being the Jinchuuriki himself, had never actually witnessed the destruction and harm the Kyuubi caused. "You know, there is another option. There is a Jounin teacher in Konoha who uses nothing but taijutsu. If he was your teacher, you could keep the outer seal and focus on taijutsu."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "He doesn't use any ninjutsu?" Kakashi shook his head. "What a loser. I can't become Hokage if I don't have any flashy ninjutsu in my arsenal. I'm sure the Hokage only promoted him out of pity."

Kakashi smiled. "Is that what you think? Well, that loser might just be stronger than me."

"Eh? Really? But…" Naruto thought back to the dinner he'd just had with his teammates. He'd waited years to find friends he could share ramen with. He shook his head. "I want the seal removed."

"Think about it until tomorrow." Kakashi climbed out of the window again.

"I don't need to think about it! I want it removed now. I need to practice tree-walking after all!"

"See you tomorrow." Kakashi shortly waved his hand and was gone.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto proudly announced to his teammates that this was the day he would manage to walk up trees. Sasuke didn't miss the opportunity to make fun of Naruto.

"You still can't even get a foot stuck to it. I doubt today's that day."

Contrary to Sasuke's expectations, the grin on Naruto's face only intensified. "You got beat by two girls, Sasuke. I don't think you should be talking?" he fired back.

"I did _not _get beat by two girls."

"You totally did. Just look at the trees. Sakura and Naho both got their marks further up."

"You…" Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar. "At least I got a mark up there!" he said with a forced smile.

"Yeah, but that's not my fault. Kakashi-sensei said it was my seal that's messing with my chakra flow. So he's removing it today. You better be careful, Sasuke. I'm going to catch up to you in no time."

"Removing the seal?" Naho asked, while Sakura was busy giving Naruto a knock on his head for teasing Sasuke. "_That _seal?" she added.

Naruto freed himself from Sasuke's grasp and dodged away from yet another of Sakura's punches, before taking cover behind Naho's back. He scratched his head, laughing lightly. "You know about it too, Naho-chan?" I guess I'm really famous, huh?"

"Hmpf, hiding behind a girl like a scared fool." Sasuke turned away from Naruto and walked to his tree, ready to start training.

"You let a girl fight for you. How is that any better, you idiot?" Naruto yelled after him.

"Is that safe?" Naho asked, trying to get back on topic.

"I'm sure Kakashi-sensei wouldn't do anything that was dangerous." Sakura waved the thought away.

Their teacher arrived soon after, a lot earlier than usually. Sakura was cheering for Sasuke instead of practicing herself and Naho was still having breakfast. She didn't enjoy eating at the orphanage. Naruto ran at him in excitement.

"I see you still want the seal removed," Kakashi noted as he looked in they boy's eyes that were filled with expectation. Naruto nodded. "Alright, alright. Then let's do it."

"Huh, here?"

Naho sat next to them in the grass, eating onigiri she bought at the market. Sakura came over as well, curious on what was going to happen. Only Sasuke decided to stay away and keep practicing instead. Showing interest in Naruto's life was not on his agenda.

"Sure, just show me your belly button." Kakashi pulled up Naruto's jacket and put all five fingers on his belly. Naruto giggled. It took moment before Kakashi circled his hand left and right, and suddenly, Naruto stopped giggling and fainted. Kakashi caught him and carefully placed him on the ground.

"Is he alright?" Sakura asked, kneeling down next to Naruto.

"He should wake up again soon. His body is most likely overwhelmed by the new chakra flow."

Kakashi turned out to be right, and Naruto slowly opened his eyes again.

"What happened? Have you removed the seal yet?" Naruto watched Kakashi nod as he got up again from the ground. "Are you sure? I don't really feel different yet. Am I supposed to feel different?"

Kakashi looked at him with a bored eye. "Do I look like someone who removes demon seals on a daily basis and knows what's supposed to happen?" Naruto's eyes narrowed at him. "Just go and see if tree-walking got any easier," Kakashi said before Naruto could start doubting him.

Naruto's mood was fast to change and suddenly, he was all excited again and ran towards his tree, filled with motivation. It took a while, but by the end of the day, Naruto had managed to move his kunai mark further up for the first time ever.

* * *

Naruto practiced day and night, determined to catch up to his teammates as fast as possible. It took less than a week, and all four of them could walk up trees like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Komachi watched Naruto as he ran back home, jumping up and down at the thought that he would get to go on his first C-rank mission soon. He met Shikamaru and Choji on his way, and couldn't help but brag to them about it. They didn't share his excitement though. Missions were a nuisance to them, and the higher the rank, the bigger the nuisance.

"You are late. Again." Komachi said, as her partner finally appeared next to her. "What if something had happened?"

"Relax." The girl ran her hand through her white hair. "I can't see your face through that mask, but I'm sure you are already getting wrinkles from worrying too much." She yawned under her mask. "Nothing ever happens here anyway. Why are we even watching that little brat?"

They both used the Transformation Jutsu to take on the appearance of mere villagers and walked after Naruto, who stopped by the ramen shop to tell Teuchi, Iruka and Ayame of his new achievements.

"You are foolish to yawn at peaceful times, Kagura," Komachi lectured the younger Anbu. "And you are foolish to think that the Kyuubi won't take a chance at breaking out now that the seal is weaker. It's only a matter of time."

"Let's hope it will be sooner rather than later." Kagura stopped to look at a shop selling hair ornaments like she was taking a stroll through town.

Komachi had learned to ignore her impudent behaviour. Arguing with the girl proved a waste of time. She instead kept her eyes on the important matters – Naruto.


	10. Asleep and Awake

"You know, Sakura…" Ino sat in front of a mirror, combing her long, blond hair before tying it together. "When I said you could spend the night here… I thought we were talking about a few nights, not weeks and months."

"I told you, I'm saving up money from missions. It's just that… this is the first mission we are doing in such a long time. It took Naruto so long to master this stupid tree-walking. We could've gone on this C-rank mission much earlier if it hadn't been for him." There was annoyance in Sakura's voice as she packed some clothes into her backpack.

"I'm just saying, my dad was already talking about going to your parent's place to settle things."

"There is nothing to settle," Sakura said, cramming more underwear into the backpack. "I told you I talked to my father again. And he basically said he doesn't want to see my face again until I gave up on my 'childish little dreams.'" Her backpack was full of clothes once again, so full that she had to give them a beating for everything to fit in.

"Sheesh, are you planning to move out after all? How long do you think this mission is going to take, dummy?" Ino flicked her finger at Sakura's forehead as she walked past her to the door.

"I'm just making sure I'm prepared. This is the first time I'm visiting another village after all. And also…" She threw a dark grin at Ino. "It's the first time I'm spending the night with Sasuke. Which pyjama do you think he likes more on me?" She held up two different sleeping shirts at Ino.

Ino, who'd already been out of the room with one foot, stormed back at Sakura and tackled her over. "Don't you dare tease me like that when I'm the reason you are not homeless, billboard brow." Ino was pinching Sakura's cheeks, pinning her to the floor. "A cute pyjama won't save your ugly face anyway!"

Sakura eventually managed to push Ino away. "You are just jealous that you aren't even close to spending the night with him, Ino-pig," she yelled after Ino.

The two girls went on to wrestle on Ino's bedroom floor until Ino's father knocked on the door, telling them breakfast was waiting.

"This is just unfair. You were only lucky to be assigned on the same team. Otherwise he wouldn't even know you exist." Ino got up from the floor and straightened her skirt. "By the way, how is Naruto?"

"Huh? How's Naruto supposed to be?" Sakura hung her backpack over a shoulder to take it downstairs with her. She was going straight to the main gate to meet her teammates after breakfast.

"I've heard my parents talk about his seal. They said Kakashi-sensei removed it, and that they very worried about his mental state because of it."

Sakura looked at Ino with big eyes before she started laughing. "No way! Removing that seal did nothing. Naruto's still Naruto. I wouldn't be surprised if Kakashi-sensei didn't actually do anything. Maybe he just tricked Naruto with all his 'your chakra control will get better' talk." She tried her best to imitate her teacher's monotonous voice. The two girls both giggled and went downstairs together.

* * *

Team 7 met at Konoha's main gate. All four students stood there ready to leave. They were always on time, all four of them, despite the fact that their teacher left them waiting each and every day.

Naruto was eating chocolate chips to pass time.

"Don't tell me that's your breakfast," Sakura said. "You really have no idea what's healthy for you, do you?" She lectured him more out of boredom than actual worry about his health.

"They are really tasty. Do you guys want some too?" He offered his teammates the bag.

"I can't stand sweets." Sasuke turned away from them.

"I'm not having sweets for breakfast either," Sakura announced. There was no way she'd have chocolate for breakfast in front of Sasuke's eyes. It sure made people look like a glutton.

Naruto offered the bag to Naho as well, who thankfully accepted the offer.

"Are you two for real?" Sakura watched her two teammates munch on chocolate chips with a frown on her head. The worst part was that she actually liked chocolate chips herself.

Kakashi eventually strolled towards them, not being in any hurry at all. "Yo," he greeted them, raising his hand at them. "Sorry I'm late. Someone was cleaning the street and I didn't want to bother them."

His four students looked at him in silence. His excuses had never been good, but they definitely didn't get better either.

"So, who's our team leader today? Let's see." Kakashi put on a thinking face, one finger scratching over his covered mouth. He was good at pretending that this decision actually mattered.

"Me! I'll do it!" Naruto raised his hand, jumping up and down on the spot.

"Please, not Naruto again. He takes this way too seriously." Sakura groaned at her teammate.

"How about… you, Sakura." Kakashi pointed a finger at her.

Sakura wasn't exactly keen on being team leader for the day, but it was still better than listening to Naruto's overexcited commands. The last time he was team leader, he thought it was funny to have a competition on who can eat a bowl of ramen the fastest. Apparently it was supposed to be a team-building exercise. Kakashi had been proud enough that Naruto even knew the word 'team-building', so he'd friendly reminded his students that the leader's calls had to be followed.

"What are we going to do first, Sakura?" Naruto now asked her. "Do you have a special formation we should take on while walking? We could get attacked by bandits after all." He put one hand above his eyes, checking the area.

Sakura sighed. But a smile soon came back to her lips as her eyes fell on Sasuke. He quietly walked next to her. "Say, Kakashi-sensei. What kind of mission is this?"

"Ah right. I haven't even told you. We are going to a village that is known for being a great holiday resort. It's up in the mountains and has lots of hot springs. They say bathing in them makes your skin look 10 years younger. You can also visit plenty of dance shows all around the year. Apparently they have some of the best food in our country too."

"But we are actually going on a mission, right?" Sasuke checked.

"Yes, yes. There is a big hotel that has fallen victim to several acts of vandalism over the last months. They have an important guest staying in their hotel tomorrow and we are to make sure that everything runs smoothly for the time of their stay, and, ideally, find out who the culprits are should they choose to cause trouble again."

"Yes!" Naruto rose his fist into the air. "We'll catch those villains! Who's that important guest? A lord or lady?"

"They didn't specify. But that's also nothing that should concern you."

"So, since it's a C-rank mission, is the pay better?" Sakura asked her teacher.

"Mh, I see at least one of you kids is diving into the serious side of life. Yes, the pay is better. But we won't actually make it there at this pace, Sakura. Why not give your team a little stamina exercise?"

* * *

They eventually arrived in the small town after hours of running and sprinting. Shops and little food stalls filled the main street left and right and everyone seemed busy selling wares and convincing tourists to participate in one of their attractions.

"Wow, so much food!" Naruto said, his mouth dropped open. "This is the first time I'm in another village. Do they have ramen too?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto's cluelessness. But she too was charmed by the town's traditional-styled wooden houses.

Naho was still gasping for air, exhausted from the hour-long sprint. She'd spent many days and nights at the library trying to catch up to all the years she'd missed at the Academy. Maybe too many.

It didn't slip Kakashi's attention either. "I guess we know who needs to do more exercise," he scolded her, though it didn't actually sound like scolding. It never did. Kakashi used the same monotonous voice for almost anything in life.

Naruto patted Naho on the back with a grin on his face, happy that for once he wasn't the one being scolded.

There was one building in town that stuck out from the others. It towered in the centre of the village, and was much higher than the other houses around it. In comparison, it almost looked like a castle.

"Is that the Hokage building?" Naruto pointed at it.

"Idiot." Sakura punched the back of his head. "Does this look like a Hidden Village to you? There are no shinobi here, so there also is no Hokage."

"Might be the mayor's house. He'd definitely be living a good life," Sasuke noted.

"No, actually," Kakashi said, "that's our client's hotel."

"Eh, that big thing is a hotel?" all his students exclaimed in surprise.

They walked over to the hotel together and the owner immediately ran at them to greet them. He didn't have to ask them who they were. It was obvious from their clothing and Konoha headbands. The first thing the owner did was to give them a tour of his hotel, which proved to be his biggest pride in life. There was a bakery on the ground floor, which he recommended to visit for breakfast and a restaurant serving local specialties on the highest floor, overlooking the mountains and valleys around them. They also offered exclusive access to some of the finest hot springs their village could offer. Both indoors and outdoors. He ended his tour in the gift shop, which sold overpriced souvenirs.

Naruto looked at little figures of foxes and birds, and took out his purse to check for money.

"What are you doing, you moron?" Sakura grabbed his ear to pull him away.

"But I need something to remind me of our first C-rank mission," he protested.

The hotel owner went on to show them to their rooms. Sakura couldn't quite believe yet that she was really going to spend the night in such a luxurious hotel, and with Sasuke of all people. Sure, Naruto, Naho and Kakashi were present too, but her eyes made a good job at blanking them out for the most part. When Kakashi announced that he would take one of the two rooms for himself and his students could share the other one, Sakura almost dropped dead. She stumbled into the room after them, watching as everyone dropped their backpacks on the floor.

"Sakura-chan." Naruto appeared next to her, a big grin on his face. "Do you want to put your futon next to mine? I'll make sure Sasuke doesn't make a grab at you tonight."

She punched Naruto away, but her face was flushed red. She hadn't expected Sasuke and her to be _that _close.

"Are you alright? Your face is all red." Naho had an actually worried look on her face.

Sasuke put down his futon next to a wall, trying to get as far away from anyone else possible. Sakura immediately knew what she had to do and grabbed her own futon to lay it down next to his. It didn't take long until Naruto then put his futon down next to hers. A fight broke out between the two, as Sakura yelled at Naruto to move his beddings away. There was no way she would sleep next to him.

"I want Naho next to me," Sakura proclaimed.

"Why? You are sleeping next to Sasuke too, why not next to me?"

"Who do you think I am? Sleeping next to _two _boys at once?" She pulled Naruto's bedding away.

Naruto started pulling at the other side, not giving up that easily. "Then move away from Sasuke if you are worried about that sort of thing."

Kakashi entered the room just in the right time to witness his two students almost ripping apart Naruto's blanket. Sasuke was leaning on the wall, massaging his trembles. Naho stood lost in the middle of the room with her bedding in her arms, unsure where her place in all of this was supposed to be.

"If you two can't behave you will both sleep in my room," Kakashi said.

His two students immediately dropped the blanket. Though Sakura was the one fast enough to grab Naho and pull her between her and Naruto, telling her to sleep next to her.

Naruto pouted at the two girls. "Whatever, Naho is a lot nicer than you anyway."

Sakura's fists clenched on their own, but she managed to hold herself back. At least he gave up on the spot next to her.

"So Sakura, what's the plan for today?" Kakashi asked while rubbing his back with a massage stick he'd found in their room.

"Huh, the plan?" The girl remembered she'd been assigned team leader, but they had never actually done a mission since Kakashi-sensei introduce the idea. She had no idea what it all involved. "I guess… we should go and gather information on the vandalism first?"

"Sounds good. Good luck, guys."

"Huh, aren't you coming with us?" Naruto asked.

"I'll see how Sakura does first. If you guys can complete this mission without my help, I'll treat you to dinner." He thought about his words for a moment. "Actually, no I won't. But you will have earned a tiny bit of respect from me, isn't that way better?" He threw a smile at them that was only visible in his right eye. He received four gloomy stares from his students in return.

"Alright, then let's do this," Sakura said. This was nothing she couldn't handle. A grin formed on her lips. "I think we should split into two groups. Naruto and Naho, you two will talk to the hotel owner again and ask him for any information he has. Sasuke and I will walk around the village and talk to some of the other locals."

Neither Naruto nor Sasuke were satisfied with her allocation. They knew well enough why Sakura chose the teams that way. But they both followed the rules and accepted her decision. Especially since Kakashi was still standing next to them, observing their decision making.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke walked down the main street again. They'd left most of their ninja gear including their headbands at the hotel on Sakura's order. There were too many people suspicious of shinobi asking too many questions.

"Hey, you two. Don't you want to try some of my lotions? They make your skin all soft and shiny."

Sakura immediately turned to the lady and tried some of the free samples.

"Excuse me," she started while rubbing her hands. "We are staying at that big hotel over there and heard there's been a lot of vandalism. Do you know anything about it?"

"No idea, sorry," the woman said, but her voice was much less friendly than before. She turned away from them to serve other costumers.

Sakura noticed her sudden change in behaviour but didn't push any further. "Do you like this smell?" she asked Sasuke instead, holding her hand in front of his nose.

"No," he said immediately. He turned away from her and continued down the road.

Sakura sighed, but the smile on her lips stayed.

* * *

Naruto and Naho were looking for Sasuke and Sakura to report on their findings, when they passed a ramen restaurant. Naruto immediately stopped and was glued to the entrance door.

"Please, Naho. We _have _to try the ramen here."

"But Sakura told us to come find them once we are done."

"Just one bowl. Come one, aren't you hungry from all that sprinting? We haven't even had lunch yet."

Even if Naho tried arguing, there really was no use. Naruto was already in the building, talking to the chef. And of course, one serving of ramen wasn't enough either, so Naruto ordered a second one.

"This is really delicious!" Naruto's eyes were glowing as he slurped down the last bit of broth.

"Thank you, thank you," the chef said. Naruto had been talking with him throughout their not so short eating break, and the man was visibly happy to have him as a customer. "It's so nice to have a customer who appreciates your food with all their heart."

"Of course," Naruto yelled, and for a moment, Naho feared he would order a third serving. "Who on earth doesn't appreciate ramen?"

The chef sighed. "I wish you were right. But my business hasn't been going well lately. I might even have to close my restaurant."

Naruto was shocked. "Why?"

"I reckon you've seen that big hotel? It's hard to overlook. The owner is a brutal businessman. He's slowly taking over the economy of our whole town. I guess I can't blame him. Competition is competition. But even my grand-grand-father already served ramen in this restaurant. It's going to be a sad, sad day when I have to close for good."

* * *

They all met again with Kakashi in his hotel room to report back. He was sitting on some cushions in a yukata, enjoying a hot tea.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at his teacher. "Aren't you supposed to be doing missions _with _us? You are just lazing around!"

"I'm supposed to supervise you guys. Which is what I'm doing right now, so tell me what you found out."

"Not really a lot," Sasuke said, throwing a dark glance at Sakura, who'd dragged him from one shop to the other for hours. They'd even watched a small singing competition on the central plaza.

"Well, we did find something out," Sakura disagreed. "We've been to almost every shop in town and none of the shop owners wanted to talk about the vandalism. Or they claimed that they didn't know anything. But this town is really small, there is no way no one actually has any information."

Kakashi nodded, rubbing his chin.

"The hotel staff also said that they believe someone from the village was the culprit, because there have been five acts of vandalism over a span of 2 months," Naho added.

Naruto stepped forward. "This hotel owner also isn't as great as he's making out to be. He's taking everyone's customers away! That poor guy from the ramen shop said he might have to close his restaurant soon because of him." He was clearly invested in the ramen chef's fate.

"Good job," Kakashi told them regardless of their scarce findings. "What's the next step of action?"

Sakura put a finger to her lips, thinking things over for a moment. "We should each take turns to keep watch for any signs of more vandalism around the hotel. That's our main goal after all. Seeing how big the hotel is, it might be best to have at least two people active at the same time."

Kakashi smiled at her. "That's a good idea. But it's unlikely anything's going to happen as long as there are this many people still around. You should all relax for a bit. We can start the watch after dinner."

The faces of everyone lit up except for Sasuke, who couldn't care less how they were spending the rest of the day.

Sakura immediately pictured herself and Sasuke strolling around the village again, wearing yukatas this time. She did a little dance while giggling to herself.

"Hey, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, let's go to the onsen together." Naruto grabbed his yukata and looked through a basket filled with little tubes of shampoo and lotions. A gift from the hotel owner. Naho too vanished in the bathroom to change. Sakura was about to follow her when Naruto went on. "Maybe we will see Kakashi-sensei without his mask for the first time," he whispered to Sasuke.

"No way! Unfair, I want to see too." The mask had become such an integrated part of Kakashi's face that Sakura hadn't even realised she hadn't seen him without it even once.

Sasuke didn't seem too intrigued, but Naruto didn't give up. "Have you never wondered what he hides with it? Maybe he has huge buckteeth?"

Sakura couldn't help imagining her teacher with ugly teeth sticking out of his mouth and even Sasuke's, eyes twitched as he suddenly was curious after all.

They only stopped whispering when Naho came back from changing. Naruto and Sasuke's eyes were immediately fixed on her. They'd never seen her wear her hair loose before. "Wow, Naho-chan. You look so cute in that yukata. I never realised you had such nice long hair." Naruto laughed.

Naruto's words and Naho's long black hair would have been enough to evoke jealousy in Sakura, but Sasuke too stared at Naho with a look on his face that Sakura had never seen before. And suddenly Ino's words kept resounding in her head again and again: Sasuke likes girls with long hair, Sasuke likes girls with long her, Sasuke likes girls with long hair. She touched her own hair, awfully self-conscious all of a sudden. She hadn't cut it ever since Ino told her about Sasuke's preferences. Yet it didn't have the same length as Naho's hair. She bit her lip, wondering why in the world Sasuke would look at this awfully reserved girl instead of her.

"Well, I'll go have something to eat. You might have stuffed yourself with ramen earlier, but I haven't eaten since breakfast." Sasuke turned away from Naruto and the others and walked towards the door.

"Wait, we'll all go together! I'll just change real fast." Sakura grabbed one of the yukatas the hotel prepared for them and vanished in the bathroom.

"Are you coming too, Kakashi-sensei?" Naho asked, but her teacher quickly said that he'd already eaten and would stay in the hotel room.

"You never join us for dinner, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto sulked, but it didn't help convincing him.

To Sakura's displeasure Sasuke didn't quite show the same reaction when she stepped out of the bathroom again. She'd taken her time to adjust her hair and make sure she looked the best possible. He barely even looked at her and simply threw a short "finally" in her direction.

Naruto on the other hand showered her with compliments on how cute she looked, but those words meant nothing from him. Or at least not as much.

The four genin left their hotel together to go into town. Lanterns lit the streets and even more tourists roamed the streets now.

"Wow, this town is so beautiful." Naho clapped her hands together in awe. "It almost looks like there is a festival going on with all these lights and food stalls."

Naruto shared her excitement. "Let's try lots of food!"

"Yes!" Naho answered immediately, a bright smile on her face. "I love street food."

"Sasuke-kun, how about we sit down somewhere and have dinner together? Street food won't fill us up properly." Sakura tried her best smile. But Sasuke's eyes were on Naho once again. There was an unusually big frown on his head. Sakura definitely didn't expect him to agree to her offer, yet he did. He walked off into the opposite direction Naho and Naruto were going, telling her to hurry. It was supposed to be a victory for Sakura. But why did she get the feeling that he only joined her to get away from Naho?

Naruto and Naho went from food stall to food stall, trying anything they could find. Plus points if they didn't actually know what they were eating. One woman gave Naruto a second red bean bun for free that he shared with Naho.

"The people in this town are so nice," he said, while they both sat down on a small bench at the side of the street. "I've never gotten anything for free in Konoha."

Naho looked at him, still not sure if it was alright to openly talk about the Kyuubi inside of him. "Have you always lived on your own?" she eventually asked.

"No, not always." Naruto took another bite of his bun. "I used to live with my teachers when I was younger. But they all either gave up on me or… died." He looked at the read bean paste in the bun, squeezing it out. "But it doesn't really matter anymore. Now I got you guys." He smiled at Naho. The smile slowly vanished as he realised that Naho wasn't returning it. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," she said instantly. "It's just… You seem to get along really well with the others, even though you guys are always fighting. I don't have many people in Konoha. My former classmates always made fun of me because I joined the Academy at such a late age. It took me ages and a lot of help from Tenten to learn how to throw a kunai. I wish I got along well with Sasuke and Sakura too." She lowered her head, looking at the empty paper wrappings in her hand. "I don't think they like me much."

Naruto gave her a big pat on the back. "Why would they not like you? You're such a nice girl. Believe it!"

"But Sasuke's frown is always twice as big when he's looking at me." She pointed a finger to her forehead, imitating Sasuke's usual frown. "It's the same with Sakura. She's always nice to me, but she looks at me like I did something wrong."

"Don't worry. That's just how those two are." He tried to cheer her up, but could see that she wasn't too convinced. "Hey, why don't we bring Sakura and Sasuke some street food too? I'm sure they'd be happy." He looked around. "Mh, I wonder what they would like?"

Naho followed his gaze and looked at the different food stalls. "How about some onigiri? We have a long night ahead of us. We should buy some as a midnight snack."

"Good idea!"

They went over to the onigiri stall and chose two for each. Naruto insisted on choosing Sakura's, claiming that was his duty as her future boyfriend. Naho chose two for Sasuke. Naruto looked at Naho's choice with a rather sceptical look.

"What's that flavour? Are you sure Sasuke likes tomatoes out of all things in his rice?"

"You don't think he'll like them?" Naho looked at the back with her onigiri, wondering if it was too late to return them. "I don't know. I just thought it would be something he'd like."

"Ah well. The thought's what counts, right?"

They walked back to the hotel to meet up with their teammates again. Naruto was excited on going to the onsen with Kakashi, and kept entertaining Naho with theories on Kakashi's face and the mask on their way back.

Sasuke and Sakura were already back in their room. Sasuke was sitting at a window, looking outside at the town, while Sakura was reading a magazine to him. He didn't seem to be listening though.

"Hey guys, we brought food for our nightshift!" Naruto ran inside and let himself fall next to Sakura, who instantly attempted to push him away. "Here, these are for you."

Naho looked at Sasuke, who'd completely ignored that they were back. It took her a moment before she pushed herself to walk over to him and hand them over. His black eyes only shortly met hers before he averted them again and grabbed the bag.

"Thanks," he said shortly. He opened it to look at the flavours, and Naho could see a flash of surprise in his eyes, which was soon replaced by another frown. The biggest frown Naho had seen so far.

"I'm sorry if I chose the wrong flavour. You can have mine instead, they are with salmon." She took the other bag to exchange them.

"No, it's fine," Sasuke said, keeping his bag close to him. "I like them. It's just…" He still couldn't get himself to look at Naho's face. His eyes roamed around the room instead, looking at everything but her. "How did you know?" He observed her from the corner of his eye.

Naho didn't quite understand the question.

"How did you know these were my favourites?" He immediately looked away again and stood up. "Nevermind. I'll go take a bath. Thanks for the food." He walked past her and left.

Naruto yelled after him. "Hey, wait! I'm coming too, I'll just convince Kakashi-sensei real fast." Naruto got up too and grabbed some soap and shampoo. "I'm so excited to have a look at Kakashi-sensei's face." He giggled to himself, and left the two girls alone.

"Should we go to the onsen too?" Naho asked with a soft smile.

Sakura was biting her lips. She was now the one who couldn't bring herself to look at her teammate. "Why would I want to go anywhere with you?" she eventually snapped. She threw the magazine into a corned and left.

Naho looked after her, slowly dropping her gaze. She knew Naruto had been wrong.

* * *

Naruto lay in wait for Kakashi, who'd promised to join them soon. The hot water steamed around them. "He's coming," he finally realised, grabbing Sasuke's arm in excitement.

"I don't care." Sasuke pulled his arm away from him.

"Eh? What's with you all of a sudden? I thought you wanted to know too if Kakashi-sensei has those immense buckteeth." Naruto formed teeth with his two forefingers.

"Have I just heard my name?" Kakashi appeared in front of the them.

Naruto almost drowned in the hot spring when he looked at Kakashi's face. The lower half was now covered with a towel instead of a mask. Naruto blew bubbles of disappointment into the water.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. What happened to your left eye?" Naruto noticed the big scar running straight down over his left eye. It was the first time Naruto saw him without his headband, but he still kept the eye closed, using only the right one.

"I lost it during a fight," Kakashi said casually as he stepped into the water.

"Really? That must have been one hell of a fight." Naruto was excited again, hoping his teacher would expand on the story, but Kakashi didn't say another word. "Man, you two are such bores," Naruto complained. "Ya know, I was in the same class as Sasuke and Sakura, but this is actually the first time seeing you and Naho without your headbands. You both look so different without it."

Sasuke sank deeper into the hot water as Naruto kept talking.

"Naho-chan looks pretty cute actually, don't you think, Sasuke?" Naruto rose his eyebrows several times at his teammate, who tried his best to ignore Naruto prodding him. "Maybe I should ask her for a date, what do you think?"

"Hell, what do I care?" Sasuke yelled back at him and simply left the hot springs altogether.

"You'll get wrinkles from all those frowns on your forehead eventually," Naruto yelled after him, getting the last say.

"You know, Naruto. Hot springs are meant to be a place for relaxation. Not a place to tease your teammates and yell around." Kakashi was massaging his shoulder, doing his best to enjoy the bath regardless.

"I'm not teasing him." Naruto leaned backwards, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You are. And you shouldn't. Not about Naho."

"Eh? What do you mean 'not about Naho', Kakashi-sensei?" There was no answer, so Naruto started thinking about his teacher's words. The water sloshed as Naruto jumped up with an idea, and immediately sat back down again to talk to his sensei. "Does Sasuke actually have a crush on Naho? I mean, I was just joking, but…"

Kakashi covered half his face with his hand. "No, I don't think he has a crush on her. You really don't see it, do you? You are one blind boy."

* * *

Naho was alone in their room when Sasuke returned. He considered walking back out again, but eventually, there was no way around her. She was his teammate after all. He sat down at the window again, hoping she would just keep quiet. Luckily she was nothing like Naruto and Sakura in that regard, so they just sat there in silence while everyone minded their own business. He observed the world outside, the wooden roofs and lights hanging from them. But every now and then, his eyes would fall onto her for just a moment. She was reading one of the comics laying around. There were lots of free samples, and the full volumes could be bought in a shop downstairs.

Her eyes moved left and right, and left and right, as she looked at the different panels. Their eyes met. Sasuke was the first to look away.

"Hey, Sasuke…" She spoke in her usual low voice. "Are you angry with me because of anything?"

"I'm not."

She didn't push the conversation further, but he knew she wasn't convinced.

"I'm just not interested in making friends. Unlike you guys. It's got nothing to do with you."

"Are you sure that's all?"

Was he behaving that differently towards her? He couldn't tell. He definitely didn't intend to.

Naruto entered before he could say anything else. "Oh, are you two alone?" He was munching on a dango stick he'd bought from one of the shops downstairs. He didn't wait for an answer but kneeled down in front of Naho instead. His eyes narrowed as he inspected her face closely. So close, Naho fell backwards.

"Do I have something in my face?" she asked, covering it with both hands.

Naruto went on to do the same to Sasuke. He stared at him so closely, their noses almost touched.

"What's your problem?" Sasuke knocked his head away.

"Mh, maybe Kakashi-sensei actually has a point," he concluded. "Anyway, where is Sakura? Kakashi-sensei said we should start our watch soon. Two people at a time."

"She left when you guys went to the onsen."

Naruto searched the whole building for Sakura. It seemed uncharacteristic of her to just vanish when she knew they had to continue their mission. He even thought about asking Kakashi for help, when he saw her sitting on a bench just outside the hotel. There was a little park, which was fairly quiet and closed-off from all the turmoil of the main street. He could hear big sighs as he approached her.

"Why can't Ino be on my team instead of her?" She was talking to herself, not realising yet that Naruto was close-by. "At least I never have to feel bad being mean to Ino. She fights back after all." Sakura shrieked when she spotted Naruto.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," she instantly replied. "Nothing at all."

Naruto sat down next to her. "Are you sure? You look down."

"Say, Naruto…" Sakura was nervously tugging at her yukata. "Do you think Naho is more beautiful than me?"

Naruto, unaware that a strong '_No, of course not!' _was the only correct answer he could give to such a question, started thinking hard. He wanted to give his friend the best and most honest answer possible.

Sakura almost immediately started to punch Naruto as she realised that he wasn't going to give her what she needed to hear. "You idiot!" she yelled at him over and over.

"What's wrong?" Naruto tried his best to defend himself. "I think you are both beautiful!"

Sakura turned away from him, a frown on her forehead. "I think Sasuke likes Naho more," she eventually said. "It feels like I'm trying so hard for him to acknowledge me and he just doesn't care about me at all. And Naho, who's not trying at all, just being her own cute and shy person, is getting all these… looks from him."

A big grin formed on Naruto's face. He couldn't believe Kakashi had actually just prepared him perfectly for this talk. "Oh Sakura," he said in an all knowingly voice. "You really don't see it, do you?"

"See what?"

"Naho looks a lot like Sasuke." He pointed his finger at her, while sharing Kakashi's wisdom like it was his own.

To his surprise, Sakura wasn't surprised at all. "Well, yes. Obviously. How's that supposed to cheer me up?"

"Huh, you knew?"

"Of course. It's obvious when you look at them. Everyone with eyes in their head sees it." She lowered her head. "But I read in a magazine that most people are attracted to someone who looks similar to themselves." She buried her hands in her face, pretending to cry. "Why did I have to be born with pink hair and green eyes? This is so unfair!"

"Um, I don't think he's attracted to her, Sakura-chan."

"How would you know? Have you seen how he looks at her?"

Naruto pointed his finger up once more and his big grin returned as he repeated what Kakashi had told him earlier. "Naho looks a lot like Sasuke. So she probably just reminds him of someone from his family who died."

Sakura looked at him with big eyes. "I've never thought about that."

Naruto nodded, before throwing a dirty grin her way. "But, you know, Sakura. You could just go out with me. Look at all these nice lights, should be go for a romantic walk?"

Sakura didn't hesitate to punch him once again. "Let's just go back," she said, walking ahead.

* * *

It was a quiet night, and one shift after the other was over without any incident. Sasuke was sitting on the hotel roof, overlooking the area beneath him. He enjoyed the silence and solitude, similarly to Kakashi, who was sitting on the opposite side of the roof. Every now and then, Sasuke would get the feeling of being watched, but he couldn't quite make out why. There was no one around. The whole town was asleep. Except for Kakashi and him. He would get up every once in a while and walk across the roof, making sure the area he was supposed to cover was clear.

He sat down again in front of the window to their room, sighing. This mission had proven awfully boring for a C-rank so far and felt more like a holiday. It wasn't something he needed in his life. Boring missions wouldn't make him stronger. At least it was almost time for Naruto to take over his shift. He opened the bag with the onigiri. They were of such a strange flavour, yet it was exactly the flavour he liked best. He took a bite, and couldn't help but think back to the time's that were lost, and to the people he'd vowed to revenge. The people he'd failed to protect.

Lanterns were still lit in the streets, and they reminded him of the last day he'd truly spend together with his family. There'd been a festival in Konoha, and his cousin had been the most excited about it she'd ever been. She pulled him from stall to stall, trying all the foods and playing all the games. He loved how every shop owner thought she was his little sister. He always wanted to have a little sibling. Because he wanted to show Itachi that he could be just as good of a big brother.

Sasuke took out a shuriken and threw it at a tree he'd chosen as a target. It landed perfectly. He threw another, and another. Dwelling in the past was no good. Becoming stronger was the only thing that would move his life forward.

* * *

Naho slowly woke up from someone moving beside her. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if it was her turn yet to keep watch again. Someone suddenly sat down on top of her. She froze from shock. Still disoriented from her sleep, she tried to figure out who it was, blinking fast to hope her eyes would adjust to the darkness sooner.

A short sigh of relief left her when she saw it was Naruto. She wanted to ask him what he was doing, but before a sound could leave her mouth, she could feel his cold hands at her throat. She gasped for air as he pressed them together, choking her. There was a wide grin on Naruto's face as he watched her struggle, trying her best to get him off her. Her heart was racing in her chest as no air reached her lungs anymore. His grip was too strong, and he wasn't going to stop. Her fingernails dug deep into his skin, but he didn't even flinch.

Naho realised that she was too weak to break free. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get him off. She reached out to her sides, hoping to find either Sakura or Sasuke, anyone.

"Is it morning yet?" Sakura asked half asleep, before turning around to Naho. "Eh, Naruto? What are you doing?" It only took a moment for her to be wide awake again, as she jumped up to pull Naruto away from Naho. "Stop it, Naruto!" She yelled, but Naruto didn't even hear her.

Slowly, the world around Naho turned to darkness.

* * *

Sasuke could hear Sakura's yelling inside. He didn't know what happened, but he didn't care. Most likely Naruto had accidentally touched her in his sleep and she was beating him up for it. Sasuke had his eyes locked on something much more important, something much more interesting.

An Anbu stood on the roof opposite to him. She was wearing a Konoha mask.

"Who are you?" he asked, wondering if this Anbu had anything to do with their mission. Though there was no way an Anbu was involved in a mere C-rank mission.

The Anbu dashed past him so fast Sasuke barely saw her move. He turned around when she'd already entered their hotel room through the window. He ran after her, and entered the room just fast enough to watch her pull Naruto away from Naho. Naho was gasping for air as the Anbu pressed Naruto to the floor and placed a paper seal on his belly.

"Stupid brat," she cussed, before vanishing into thing air again.

Naho was still coughing heavily, and Sakura had to help her sit up.

"What's happening in here?" Sasuke asked, his eyes switched between Naho and Naruto. "What happened?"

"Ah, my stomach hurts." Naruto slowly came to his senses as well, crawling up from the floor.

"What did you do?" Sasuke stepped over him and grabbed him by the collar to pull him up.

Naruto tried to break free. "What's wrong with you, idiot? Let go!"

But Sasuke didn't let got. Instead, he punched Naruto right in the face with all he got. Naruto kept struggling, which made Sasuke go for another strike.

Kakashi now entered through the window as well, pulling Sasuke away from Naruto.

"Are you stupid?" Naruto yelled at Sasuke. He was about to charge at him to pay him back. But

then his eyes fell on Naho, who was still breathing heavily. Sakura had wrapped her arms around her, pressing her to her chest. Tears ran down Naho's cheeks. They both stared at him like he was a monster.

"What did I do?" Naruto asked, irritated. Scratches covered his arms. Scratches he had no memory of.

"You were choking her!" Sasuke was leaning in for another hit, but Kakashi held them both away from each other.

"Stop it, Sasuke. This is my fault." He let go of Naruto first, who was standing still, only staring at Naho and Sakura in disbelief. "It's because I removed the outer seal. It's not his fault."

Sasuke pulled away from Kakashi. "It were still his hands doing it."

Naruto stared at his hands. "I didn't. I don't remember a thing." There was a long silence between the five. Naho barely managed to look Naruto in the eyes anymore.

"Hit me again, Sasuke," he eventually said.

Sasuke didn't even hesitate.

"Keep going. I'll remember this feeling."

Blood ran down Naruto's chin.

"That's enough." Kakashi grabbed Sasuke by the wrist, waiting for him to stop. Reluctantly, Sasuke turned away from Naruto. "Go back outside, Sasuke. Our mission is not over."

"But…" Sakura's voice was hoarse.

"No buts. Naho is fine. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again. This is no reason to abandon our mission."

Sasuke left them without saying another word.

"I'm so sorry," Naruto said, his eyes still wide from disbelief. "I didn't know that I…" He was at a loss for words for once. It pained him to look at Naho and Sakura. So he too, turned around and left.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked Naho, who was wiping tears away from her face. She silently nodded. "Stay with her, Sakura. I'll look after Naruto."

Sakura wrapped her arms tighter around Naho.

* * *

Kakashi found Naruto outside, sitting on the ground. He was leaning against a pillar of the hotel, staring at his hands.

"Let's go inside again, Naruto. We can't catch the troublemaker if you scare them off." It wasn't like Kakashi to make a big deal out of things. Not even when one of his students attempted to kill the other. But he knew that there was no way around addressing this issue. At least eventually.

"Has this happened before?" Naruto asked. His voice was unusually low. "Have I done something like this before?"

There was silence.

"All those people in Konoha that hate me… I always thought they were wrong. That they had no reason to hate me. Do they have a reason? Have I hurt people before?" His teacher was looking at him, but didn't say a word. Naruto knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it. He had to hear it. "Tell me, please."

"Yes," he said shortly. "It hasn't happened though since the Third had the outer seal put on you. But there were… incidents before that."

Another silence. There was a question stuck in Naruto's throat. A question he was too scared to ask.

"Have I… ever killed someone?"

Again, his teacher didn't say anything. It was an answer nonetheless.

"You didn't do these things, Naruto. This was the Kyuubi's doing. It's taking control over you."

"But it were still my hands doing it." Sasuke's words resounded in his head. His lips were throbbing. He wished they hurt even more.

"You have to learn to control this. It's been done before."

Kakashi's calmness was reassuring, like it was no big deal at all to control a demon. But Naruto wasn't sure if he could do it. He wasn't sure if this was a risk worth taking after all. He wanted to become a shinobi. The next Hokage. But what if following this path meant he would lose the friends he'd just found?


	11. Naruto's Struggles

None of the five team 7 members slept again that night. Naruto was too afraid to go back to sleep, Naho and Sakura were too shaken, and Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but took it on himself to make sure that none of his teammates were hurt again. Kakashi had Naruto to watch and a mission to complete. His genin all claimed they could continue their watch shifts as intended, but Kakashi was aware that their mission was on none of their minds. So he sent out his ninja dogs. It was a more efficient way anyway, one he would have chose from the get-go if he didn't have four genin to teach. His dogs didn't disappoint and soon led him to a young man who was on his way to the hotel, armed with several buckets full of paint.

Sasuke stood in the doorway, arms crossed. He was observing the poor soul sitting in the middle of their hotel room, arms tied up behind his back. "An Academy student could've completed this mission." There was disappointment in his voice. The young man was nothing more than a mere baker's son. He let himself get captured without any sorts of a fight.

"Some missions turn out easier than expected, while others might end up a lot harder. That's part of a shinobi's life. And that's why you should always be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Just to be safe." None of Kakashi's students were actually looking at him as he shared his wisdom. Their eyes all focused on something else, and so did their minds. "Tell me a worst-case scenario for this mission that's still in the realm of the possible, Sakura."

He watched her startle as she heard her name. "I'm sorry, sensei. What was the question?"

He sighed. "You guys need to consider the different outcomes a mission could take. This guy here might as well have hired a shinobi to do the work for him. In that case, this mission would have moved up to B-rank. Maybe even A-rank depending on how much money he'd be willing to spend." He looked at the young man's appearance and clothes again. "Probably B-rank after all. So you should at least be prepared to face other genin or even chuunin. And if the mission turns out to be easy, then that's nothing you should complain about."

The young man hissed. "It's always about money, isn't it? Money rules this damn world."

"What are we doing with him now?" Sakura asked. He'd been sitting in their room all morning long, ever since Kakashi captured him.

"We'll just wait here until the hotel owner has decided what to do with him. That's none of our business anymore. But for now he is busy tending to his guest." Kakashi's gaze fell on Naruto. He sat on the opposite side of the room from the other three. His eyes would occasionally search for Naho, before looking down at his feet again. "I heard she is a royal lady, even related to our feudal lord in some way. Do you guys want to go down and have a look? You don't get to see someone like that often. It's fine as long as you aren't in the way." Kakashi tried to get some excitement back into Naruto. He looked like a completely different person without it. But his words did nothing.

"You guys go. I'll wait here with Kakashi-sensei," he told them without actually looking at any of them.

The other three declined too. No one was interested in the royal lady.

The window slit open and a dog entered the room.

"Kakashi, we got a problem," he said. He wore a Konoha headband on his head.

"What's that ugly puppy?" Sakura said.

Pakkun walked over to her. "Don't you call me a cute puppy, little girl." His voice was a lot deeper than what fitted his appearance.

"That's not exactly what I said," Sakura said, scooping away from the weird talking dog. She'd learned about the summoning jutsu and ninja animals, but it was still weird to see a dog talk. She also imagined ninja animals to look more… awe-inspiring.

Kakashi interrupted their little conversation before Pakkun could ask them to touch his soft paws, like he always did. "What problem?"

"Half the town is marching here right now. They seem rather angry. If you want to capture all of them, you better start now."

It was one of those moments when there was actually a slight bit of surprise visible in Kakashi's eyes. "Sasuke, stay here and watch him. The four of us will have a look."

"But…" Sasuke was about to protest, his eyes switching between Naruto and Naho. But he silently sat down at the window again and accepted his orders.

They left through the window instead of the door. The roof gave them a good overview of their surroundings. The crowd was hard to miss though. They'd gathered in front of the main entrance. Some were carrying signs saying "greedy bastard" and "get out of our village". Other people were carrying eggs and flour or bottles with paint.

They landed between crowd and building. Immediately people shouted at them to get lost, but they didn't quite dare step too close to the four shinobi. It didn't matter that they were a crowd full of grown men and women, against one grown shinobi and three children. They still respected them. Or at least respected what they might be able to do.

"I don't know what you are planning on doing with all those eggs, but our client has an important meeting. I beg you don't interrupt."

"Yes, and it's that meeting that we are trying to ruin, so make this easier for all of us and step aside. You can't possibly take us all on."

Naruto's eyes fell on the ramen chef. He was in the crowd as well.

"But why?" Naruto asked. "Why are you doing this? You can't just damage other people's property."

Maybe it was because Naruto was staring at him in particular, but it was the ramen chef who answered him. "This bastard is driving all of us into ruin. Our whole town. He doesn't need more royal guests to shower him with funds. We are the ones who need funding."

Someone threw the first egg at a window. Kakashi caught it fairly easily. But it didn't take long for the others to follow the example, and they all started throwing stuff at the hotel. Kakashi and his genin did their best to catch eggs and rotten fruit. Until Sakura actually failed to catch one and an egg hit her head, spilling its content all over your hair.

"Are you serious?" She carefully touched the slimy yolk. "How am I supposed to sleep next to Sasuke-kun tonight smelling like rotten eggs?" she screamed and threw everything she'd caught so far back at the villagers, who weren't nearly as good at dodging and catching as the four shinobi.

"Just let us get to the hotel. We'll pay you whatever he's paying if you just leave. We don't want the little girls to get hurt or anything."

Kakashi looked both at Naho and Sakura. "I don't think the little girls are the ones getting hurt here." He took out a kunai, spinning it around with one finger. "You know, I also have a lot of stuff with me I could be throwing at you guys. And I'm pretty good at aiming." He threw it right at a bag of flour one of them was holding. It hit before anyone even saw it flying. "Maybe you guys should leave, or I might just aim at your heads next." He was already spinning the next blade.

As soon as the first person started running in the opposite direction, everyone followed. Some threw a "bloody shinobi" into Kakashi's direction, before fleeing the scene themselves.

Sakura would've been excited at her teacher's kunai throwing skills, but she was too busy figuring out how to get rid of the yolk in her hair.

"What if they were right?" Naruto asked. "What if our client really steals all their customers and makes them go bankrupt?"

Kakashi put back the kunai. "Then that's how it is, Naruto."

Naruto lowered his head. This mission had turned out nothing like he'd hoped.

"But it's wrong. He's taking everything from them."

"It's also wrong to throw rotten eggs at people," Sakura snarled at him.

Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, that hotel owner has apparently turned the whole village against himself. His business will fail eventually because of that. But that's nothing we should get ourselves involved in. We'll make sure nothing happens until tomorrow morning when this guest is gone, and then we'll leave things to work themselves out."

Naruto still stared at his feet. He didn't like staying idle. But he didn't feel like arguing with his sensei, or with Sakura. His eyes searched Naho, but he looked away again immediately when their eyes met.

Kakashi was the first to jump up their roof again. Naho followed him. Naruto stopped Sakura before she could go as well.

"Sakura-chan, are you… Do you think I…" He couldn't find the right words. There was definitely something he wanted to ask her. Something he _had _to ask her. "I'm really sorry about last night," he ended up saying. to ask hoer.

"I don't think I'm the one you should tell that to." It was hard for Sakura to exactly pin down what she felt about Naruto after last night. Fear? Anger? Pity? Maybe a mix of all those.

He looked at Sakura's feet, her blue shoes. Then at his own feet, wearing the same shoes. How could he possibly apologise to Naho when he couldn't even look into Sakura's eyes? Apologising wasn't enough. He couldn't apologise for being a monster. "I'm sorry," he said, walking past her. "I shouldn't bother you." He jumped up the roof, and entered back into their hotel room.

Naho was sitting opposite of their captive. Kakashi was considering whether to set him free again, since he was just one of many and they couldn't possibly tie up half the village.

Again, Naruto turned away as soon as his eyes met Naho's. He was scared of the way she would look at him. "Kakashi-sensei. I'll be out on the roof and see if anyone comes back."

Naruto left, but Kakashi went after him almost immediately. He sat down next to the boy. Their feet dangled over the edge of the roof.

"You seem down today," Kakashi noted casually.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at his teacher. "Are you fooling with me? Cause I don't feel like it."

"Naruto… I know what happened last night scares you. But you can't dwell on this. Apologise to Naho and move on. All this means is that you need to work more on controlling the Kyuubi."

"Work more on controlling it? How am I supposed to do that? I didn't even know it was there. I don't feel anything. I don't know where it is. Can't you just… can't you take it out and give it to someone who's better at this?"

Kakashi was quiet for a moment, almost like he was considering the option. "I'm afraid that's not possible. Sealing it into someone else is very dangerous. Besides, you father wanted you to have the Kyuubi."

Naruto gritted his teeth. His father was the one person he didn't want to think about now. A weird feeling spread inside of him when he pictured the day his father, the Fourth Hokage, decided to seal a demon in his son. "I don't want it. He shouldn't have given it to me."

"Well, what's done is done, and now you have it." Kakashi said, in a weirdly positive way.

Naruto's body kept tensing up. He could feel his fingernails dig into his palms as he pressed them harder together. "No," he yelled. "Was the Fourth even my father or do people just say that to make me feel better? What kind of father would seal a monster in their own child?" Naruto rose his hand at his teacher. He didn't know where exactly the hand was going. He definitely didn't want to punch him, though he definitely felt like punching someone.

Kakashi was fast to catch his wrist. "I know it doesn't seem fair to you. But life is hardly fair. And sometimes life throws hardships in your way, or, in some cases, your own father throws them. But there is no use in sulking over them. Because if there's one thing monsters like, it's sulking. They'll feed right off the negativity in you."

Naruto pulled his hand back. He couldn't help the frown on his head, just like he couldn't help those feelings inside him.

"It's not like you aren't able to control this demon, Naruto. Otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here. Just…" He patted the boy on his back. "Keep working hard and do your best."

"You really are casually about this, aren't you?" Naruto pouted, but it did help his body relax. "So how am I going to control it better? What should I do?"

"Ah well…" Kakashi smiled at him and got up again. "That's something you gotta figure out on your own."

"Huh, what do you mean? You don't know? Hey, come back!" Naruto didn't follow him, but kept sitting on the edge of the roof. He wasn't ready to go back inside. He wasn't ready for any of this. But he couldn't give up, he knew. He owed it to his friends that he learned to control it. He didn't want to be a threat to them.

* * *

The townspeople threw dark glances at them as they left the village again after successfully completing their mission. The royal lady had left the town a few hours earlier, so delighted about her stay in the luxurious hotel that she left the owner a big, fat cheque right away, which left the owner equally delighted. He didn't seem too surprised either when they told him that the whole town seemed to be plotting against him. But at least he had enough money to hire more shinobi to make sure his walls weren't defaced with paint and eggs.

Naruto was the first to leave when they were back in Konoha. He did his best to manage a smile when saying goodbye to his teammates. But Naruto had never been the first one to leave. He usually accompanied either Naho or Sakura home, or convinced at least one of them to have dinner somewhere together.

His teammates stared after him, everyone muttering an awkward good-bye.

"You guys shouldn't tell anyone what happened," Kakashi said. "For Naruto's sake." He watched Naho in particular, but it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

"Kakashi-sensei, this happened because you removed that seal, didn't it?" Sakura was the one to ask. "So it might happen again, right?"

Kakashi didn't answer. He wasn't someone to lie, but he was afraid the three kids might start to distance themselves from Naruto. "There are arrangements that have been made to ensure that Naruto doesn't actually hurt someone… should this happen again." It wasn't something he was supposed to tell them. But it was something they deserved to know.

"You mean that Anbu who showed up that night? Who was she?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi hadn't know they'd been there, but it didn't surprise him. This was exactly why the Third had chosen them. "That's something not even I know, so you shouldn't worry about that."

"So Naruto has his own Anbu guards. Have they been watching him all this time?" Sasuke barely showed interest in anything, but this seemed to be one of the topics that did. "I never even realised," he added.

"Well, take the day off tomorrow everyone. We'll do some sparring the day after, so get some rest."

"Wait, we aren't training tomorrow?" Sasuke was about to complain, but Kakashi was already gone, vanished into thin air. "Unbelievable," he muttered, turning away from the two girls to leave as well.

Sakura would have followed him on any other day. But she decided to stay with Naho. "Naho." Sakura subconsciously reached for her hand, but ended up not taking it. "I know this might be awful timing and all… and I'm sorry about what happened on that mission, but… There's something I need to ask you. And please be honest with me." She looked into Naho's big eyes, and they scared her. Those eyes looked so familiar to her. But it wasn't Naho she was seeing. "Are you in love with Sasuke-kun?" What was Sakura going to do if the answer was yes? She had no idea. She didn't see Naho as a rival. She couldn't. Because Naho was nothing she wanted to be.

Naho's eyes turned even bigger. "Of course I'm not."

"Are you sure? Because he's Sasuke after all. You know, the most popular guy. Most girls have a crush on him, so you can tell me."

Naho shook her head. "No, I really don't. I barely know him." A smile formed on her lips. "Besides, I know you like him."

Sakura couldn't help but blush. There had never been a single friend who'd acknowledged her crush on Sasuke. She always had to fight them about him. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts again, turning away from Naho. "Well, good. Because you are right. He's mine. So don't think you can get between us."

They stood there in silence for a while.

"Hey, do you want to walk home together?" Sakura eventually asked.

A smile appeared on Naho's lips. "Of course." The walked down the street, side by side.

"Are you… okay? I mean, because of what happened with Naruto."

"He didn't mean it, right? So… I guess it was an accident." Naho looked around. "Your house is right over there, right?"

"Ah yes, but I'll accompany you home."

"Are you sure?"

Sakura grabbed her hand, pulling her along. It was the first time they walked home together, only the two of them.

* * *

Naruto lay awake. He didn't want to close his eyes. The thought that he might wake up somewhere else scared. He hadn't slept the night before, but worked on his tree walking some more. This night, he'd already taken a walk and did some kunai throwing. But the sleep derivation was slowly crawling up on him and his eyes became heavier.

An idea sparked his head and he summoned a shadow clone to keep him awake. But to his disappointment, the clone looked just as beaten as he did, and could barely stay away himself. He dispelled it again, yawning. He went to the silk to put cold water in his face.

He somehow manage to stay awake until the sun rose again. It was still too early to meet his team, but he didn't want to fall asleep after all. So he figured starting training early was better than sitting at home alone.

He was so tired, he only realised he was bumping into people when it was already too late. He muttered a fast apology.

"Watch your step," the man spit at him. He distanced himself from Naruto immediately, rubbing his pullover where Naruto had touched it like it was dirty now.

The look on his face was exactly the look Naruto didn't want to see on his teammates' faces. He kept walking, almost bumping into someone again soon after.

"Oh, Naruto." A smiled appeared on Iruka's face when he spotted Naruto. "How was your first C-rank mission?" He immediately realised something had gone wrong when Naruto lowered his head in silence. He didn't look like he'd had a healthy breakfast yet, so Iruka invited him to his home for breakfast.

Teuchi was already down in the ramen shop, preparing broth and cutting ingredients for the day. They had a little flat upstairs. Ayame was on her way to the bathroom when she spotted Naruto.

"Naruto! I haven't seen you the last few days, were you on a mission?" She was excited to see him.

Naruto managed a smile and a nod. They had a short conversation that ended with Ayame deciding that she'd be the one to serve breakfast to him.

Iruka sighed. "She's never that enthusiastic when it's only me."

Naruto looked around the room. There were lots of pictures hanging at the wall and standing on shelfs. Some were of Iruka, Ayame and Teuchi. But some of people Naruto didn't know.

"So, what's with that gloomy face, Naruto?" Iruka poured him green tea.

"I hurt Naho during the mission."

"Is she alright?" Iruka asked, shocked. From the look on Naruto's face he could only expect the worst.

Naruto nodded silently.

Iruka sighed in relief. "Then I'm sure it wasn't that bad. Accidents can always happen, especially on missions. Remember when Chouji accidentally hit Shikamaru with a kunai?"

Naruto did remember. Shikamaru had barely flinched, but Chouji kept crying for the rest of the day. But that had been different. It had been a true accident, and Chouji had never intended for the Kunai to land on Shikamaru's butt. But then again, Naruto had never intended to hurt Naho either.

"I think… what I did is still worse. It's different. I hurt her, with my own hands, and now… I'm sure she hates me."

"Have you apologised yet?"

"No," he admitted. "I don't know how. And… I'm scared she won't accept it."

"You are mixing apologising with asking for forgiveness. An apology is something you give. It can't be rejected, because they are your feelings. You feel sorry, so you apologise. Forgiveness is something you receive. You might get it by apologising, you might just be gifted it even without apologising, or you might not receive it at all. But what I want to say is… always apologise if you've made a mistake, Naruto, especially if it hurt someone. It shows your friends that you care."

Naruto's eyes grew bigger as Ayame walked into the room again and again to bring dish after dish to their table. "This is a breakfast?" Naruto exclaimed. He almost forgot how down he was. There was steamed rice, miso soup, a piece of grilled fish, an egg and pickles. "I've only ever had cereals for breakfast." He grabbed the chopsticks, feeling weirdly awake all of a sudden. "Are you not eating?"

Iruka shook his head. "We've already had breakfast. So it's all yours."

"Wait, so you made all these only for me?" There was a glint in his eyes as he looked at Ayame.

"Most of those are leftovers," she said. "But I did grill you some fresh fish and made soup."

Naruto gulped down the food. It was the tastiest breakfast he'd ever had. A short glance at the time made him jump off his seat. "Oh darn, I'm actually running late now. Thank you so much, Iruka-sensei, big sis. This was awesome!" His usual excitement had found its way back to him. "And I'll definitely apologise today, sensei!"

* * *

Naruto's excitement got chastened again as he arrived at the training grounds. His team was already waiting for him, even his teacher seemed to have arrive before him.

"Ah, Naruto. Nice of you to show up," Kakashi said. "We were just deciding on the sparring partners for now."

Naruto bit his lips. Why was looking at Naho so hard? She made him feel shameful. Shameful for who he was and what he'd done. What if all those adults in the village had been right and he didn't deserve any friends?

"So, Sakura, who do you want to have as a sparring partner today? You get to choose since you did such a good job on our last mission."

"Huh? Of course, Sa-" She suddenly stopped, and her eyes fell on Naho and then Naruto. "Sa… Saturday is Naho day!" She pointed at her kunoichi teammate.

"Great, but today's Wednesday," Kakashi returned.

"It's fine. I'll spar with Naruto," Naho said, throwing a short smile at both Sakura and Naruto.

The two pairs lined up in front of each other. Sasuke was the first to go ahead and throw punches and kicks at Sakura, who blocked what she could. There was barely room for counterattacks, but if she saw an opening, she would try. Yet she never managed to actually land a hit on Sasuke.

Naruto and Naho on the other hand just stood in front of each other. None of them wanted to be the first to punch their teammate. Sparring was something that had never seemed quite right to Naho. How could people put their all into hurting teammates?

And for Naruto, actually punching Naho now was definitely high up on the list of things he didn't want to do at all.

"So… should we start?" she asked after some time of them just standing there awkwardly.

"Sure." He could feel his ears grow hot. Was apologising supposed to be this hard? "I am… um, you know." He brushed the back of his head, trying to calm down his nerves. Somehow, he wished Naho would just punch him straight in the face instead of just standing there and staring at him. She was calmly waiting for him to say whatever he had to say. "I wanted to apologise… for what I did. I'm really sorry. Like, really, really sorry."

A short smile was on Naho's lips. "It's fine. I know it wasn't really you."

Naruto's eyes widened. "So you are not angry with me? You… forgive me?"

She nodded.

Naruto could feel 5 billion stones fall off his heart. Until Naho's smile vanished and she averted his eyes for just a moment too long. "What is it?" he asked. "Tell me, please."

"I'm not angry, but…" She stopped for a moment, wondering how to say it. Or whether to say it at all. "It was kind of scary, that's all."

And his relief was all gone once again. Scary. He scared her.

"Sasuke-kun!" They heard someone yell. Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru came running at them. Or rather, Ino was running and her two teammates trotted after her. Ino interrupted Sakura and Sasuke's sparring to give him a big hug. "Why don't you and I meet after today's training and we do some sparring together? I'm sure you can learn a lot more from me than from Sakura."

Sakura immediately threw herself at Ino to drag her off Sasuke, who made sure to get as far away from the two girls possible.

"Kakashi-sensei, we are here for the next clue," Shikamaru said in a bored tone, ignoring the emerging fight between Sakura and his teammate. Chouji stood next to him, asking if they couldn't take a break before looking at the next clue.

Kakashi handed them a small piece of paper, and Ino let go of Sakura to look at it together with the others.

"Huh, what's that?" Sakura wanted to have a look herself, but the numbers and letters on the paper seemed completely random to her. "Is that some sort of code?"

"Maybe we'll get an idea how to solve it while eating a steak." Chouji stepped away from the paper.

"No way! We are winning this, you hear me?" Ino yelled at him.

"What a drag," Shikamaru scratched his chin. "Just follow me, I know where to go next."

Ino wrapped her hands around him, which earned her a dark glance from Shikamaru. "You are the best! I wonder what the prize is going to be. We are so rocking this challenge."

"Huh, what are you all talking about?" Sakura asked again. Naruto and Naho came over as well to look at the mysterious piece of paper.

"We are doing a puzzlehunt with Kurenai's team," Ino explained. "The winner gets some secret price." Ino pushed her teammates ahead. "Let's go, let's go! I'll come back after training, Sasuke-kun!" She waved at them.

Kakashi's students turned their heads towards him, frowns on all of their faces.

"Why do we never get to do puzzlehunts?" Sakura asked reproachfully.

"Yeah, I feel like other teams get to learn a lot more. You just let us spar each other all day." Sasuke crossed his arms in front of him.

"Now, now, that's not true. We did some other exercises too."

"Weren't you supposed to teach us ninjutsu at some point?" Sasuke asked. This was the one topic he would get most invested in.

"Ah right. I forgot about that. Guess we'll do that next time."

"But… what about the puzzlehunt and the price? It's not fair the other teams get to do one and we don't."

"The life of a shinobi is no game, Sakura. It's hard work. Go do puzzlehunts in your free time if you really want to."

Sakura pouted at her teacher's scolding but didn't argue further. Instead she wondered of her teacher could really teach her to spit fireballs like Sasuke. It was nothing special for clan's children. Their parents often taught them at a young age. But to a child that didn't belong to any clan, spitting fire almost seemed like magic.

* * *

Komachi paced up and down the roof. Naruto hadn't slept in two nights. Her eyes carefully followed his every move, while Kagura sat leaning against a chimney, drawing.

Kagura sighed. "You know, I always wanted to become a tailor. How do you like this dress? I'm sure it'd fit you." She showed Komachi a sketch of a short sleeveless dress. There was a diamond-shaped neckline, which cut way too low.

Komachi barely acknowledged the drawing. "Can't you pay attention for once?"

"You are paying enough attention for both of us. Besides…" She looked at the time. "My shifts almost over. I'm sure the Kyuubi is nice enough to wait till I get to go until it's going to rampage." She continued drawing, appreciating the last rays of sunlight.

"That's nothing you ought to joke about."

"You and Kisuke are both so boring." She glanced at Naruto, who was leaning at his windowsill. He was throwing little paper balls at villagers that passed his window. But he barely cared to aim, and had yet to actually hit someone. "At least the brat got some sense of humour."

"He's tired. And weak. He can't go on forcing himself to stay awake forever. This won't end well." Komachi and Kagura had their way of talking past each other. None of the two women was really interested in the other.

Naruto left the window and went back inside. Komachi almost immediately started moving and jumped towards his window. It was still open. Kagura yelled after her, asking what she was doing.

Komachi entered the little one-room flat. Naruto was standing in the middle of the room, holding a kunai in his hand. It was pointed at his own wrist. His hand was shaking, almost like he was resisting an invisible force pulling the kunai towards his own flesh. Komachi looked into his eyes. She knew that she was looking at the Kyuubi.

"Ah man. Not again." Kagura appeared next to her. Her hand reached for one of her paper seals.

Komachi blocked Kagura before she could approach Naruto further. "Stop. He'll never learn to do this on his own if we keep throwing seals at him every time the Kyuubi shows. Leave, please."

"Leave? He's going to get himself killed. We're in some deep shit if that happens."

Komachi's eyes were still on Naruto. There was a grin on his face, but his hand kept trembling. "Leave," she said again, and Kagura followed her orders.

"You must be very tired, Naruto." Komachi softly laid her hand on top of Naruto's, taking away the kunai.

Naruto blinked, before jumping backwards. "Who are you? What are you doing in my home?" he yelled.

Komachi took off her mask. There was a soft smile on her face. "I'm here to help you." She sat down on a chair farthest away from Naruto. He looked at her with narrow eyes, though she wasn't sure if he was simply tired instead of suspicious. "I'm a shinobi of Konoha, just like you. I'm here to make sure you get a good night's sleep."

Naruto sat down on his bed, looking at the stranger with heavy eyes. "Did the old grandpa Hokage send you?"

She nodded. "I'll make sure nothing happens while you are asleep?"

"You can do that?" he asked, but his body already fell onto bed, eyes closed.

"Yes, I can."

A soft smile formed on Naruto's lips, as he was already drifting into a world of dreams. "You have a nice voice," he muttered. His breathing became deep and constant.

Komachi watched him, fast asleep.

Kagura whistled at her, somewhat impressed. "Maybe you aren't that boring after all. You just totally disobeyed the Hokage and showed yourself to the boy."

"He was more asleep than awake. I don't think he'll remember me."

Kagura was looking through Naruto's stuff, eating some of the cereals he'd left on the table.

"Go and tell Kisuke I'll stay here tonight. Your shift is over, isn't it?"

* * *

Kakashi woke up to a knock on his window. He turned around, ignoring it. But there it was again. And again. His eyes hurt at the sudden bright rays of sunlight.

Gai was waving at him from outside his window, a bright smile on his face. Kakashi would have ignored him, but he couldn't stand the ongoing knocking. And he knew by now that Gai wouldn't just stop because he got ignored.

"Good morning, my rival! How about we start the day with a race around Konoha? I'll say… 50 rounds to warm up?"

Kakashi let himself fall into his bed again and hid under the blanket. He could hear the crackling noise of some plastic bag and from the other sounds he could tell that Gai was putting breakfast on the table.

"Of course, a healthy breakfast is the best start for any day. Here, I made us an energy shake. I heard these are the new trend food. You just put in everything healthy you can find and mix it together. This one's spinach with cabbage, apples, tuna and an egg."

Kakashi pressed the blanket closer to his nose as the smell of Gai's shake hit him. He watched in horror as Gai down his drink in one go, offering him a glass as well. "Thanks, I'll… have that later."

"Doesn't it feel good to share even such a small drink? I can feel our eternal bond grow even stronger. Even beyond eternity you could say!" He laughed at himself. "Say, have you shared that meal with your students yet? I told you how important meal-sharing is!"

Kakashi was sitting at the edge of his bed, a glass full of green slime in his hands. He was waiting for a good moment to secretly get rid of it. "Why are you asking? You know I gave them those bento boxes you brought in the first day."

"But you have to eat _with _them, Kakashi. That's how strong relationships are built. I always make sure to have dinner with my team after each mission. That's why our bonds are so strong. We are so much more than just teacher and students." Gai kept on talking in an overly loud voice. Kakashi poured the shake down the sink when he wasn't looking.

"Alright, thanks for the energy drink. I can already feel it kicking in," Kakashi said in the most monotonous voice. "I'll see you later for that race."

"You better not be too late, because you know I'll be waiting!" Gai yelled after him as he left him alone in his flat.

Kakashi walked down the street, wondering what he was supposed to do with his genin on yet another day. And with Naruto in particular.

"Hey, Kakashi," Kurenai was calling over to him. She was standing nearby, talking to Asuma and Genma. "We are going to have some drinks tonight. Do you want to come too?"

Kakashi kept walking. He knew that if he actually engaged in a conversation to nicely decline, she would just try to sway him.

"You never give up, do you?" Asuma asked, sighing.

"I wonder why," Genma said, a grin formed on his lips. "Could it be… you are into Kakashi?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? He's our friend."

"I'm not sure he'd second that." Genma moved his face closer to Kurenai. "So are you seeing someone these days, Kurenai?"

"When will you finally stop hitting on her?" Asuma asked.

"The day when you finally stop smoking." Genma watched as Asuma rolled another cigarette.

* * *

Kakashi was still standing in front of Rin's grave when he felt someone approach from behind him. He didn't move, but waited until they'd arrived next to him. He glanced over to her, a young woman, maybe a few years younger than him.

"Kakashi." She greeted him with a nod. She had red flower pedals tattooed on the right side of her face. Her clothes were mostly short red as well. She wore shorts, short shorts, and a cropped shirt.

"Who are you?" There was something familiar about her, but his brain couldn't quite pin it down correctly yet.

She grinned. "Someone who was a present for you. Or rather, for Naruto." She handed him a bunch of paper seals. "Give these to him in your name. These have the same function as the outer seal, just a but weaker. He should use these at night until he's gotten used to the Kyuubi's chakra more. Especially when he's on a mission with your team." She gave him a knowing smile.

"You're one of his Anbu guards." She wasn't the Anbu he'd met at the Hokage office. He'd met both women only for a few minutes, but he could already tell they were two very distinct characters.

"I'm just a nice girl who likes to gift seals to attractive men."

"Are you hitting on me at a cemetery?"

"Would that be bad?"

He looked at the seals in his hands. Each seal bore the same symbol, written in red ink. "I know who you are. You're that sealing expect. One of the most talented civilian girls to ever join the Academy."

She laughed. "Flattering. But not quite right. I'm _the_ most talented civilian girl to ever be _forced _to join the Academy. I was an orphan since the Third War happened, so I didn't have much choice." She grinned again. "But I'm honoured Kakashi Hatake knows who I am."

"The village isn't that big."

"Don't downplay it." She rested her hand on his arm. "I wouldn't mind if you got to know me even more." Kakashi didn't move as her lips moved towards his ear. "I'm talented in other areas as well," she whispered, handing him another seal before pulling away.

This one had black writing on it. He could actually read it.

"Is this for Naruto too?"

She giggled. It made her look way younger than she was. "This one's for you. It's my name and address. I don't get to be home a lot, but when I am, this seal will tell you by turning red. It's my favourite colour." She left, blowing a faint kiss at him.

Kakashi looked at the seal. "Kagura," he read. He put the paper into his pockets. Gai was surely waiting already.


	12. A Day with Team 8

Naruto was sitting in the middle of a training ground, all by himself. His hands were resting in his lap, eyes closed. He'd been sitting still like that for the last ten minutes, but it felt like two hours to him already. It was early morning, even before their team was supposed to meet. They would go on yet another C-rank mission with Kurenai's team. He'd hoped to make some progress before that. Unfortunately, his teacher seemed almost as clueless as Naruto himself on the topic. 'Maybe try some meditating,' he'd told him. So Naruto spend his time meditating. He didn't know what good it was supposed to do, sitting there with closed eyes, doing nothing.

He heard some yelling not far away, and decided to check it out. His motivation was low. He wanted to train his body, not sit around idle and wait for a miracle.

He found Gai-sensei's team nearby. They were doing sit-up. Gai was yelling at them to do more, and to do them faster. Naruto had never talked to Gai before, nor seen much of him, but Kakashi told him that he could become a shinobi, even if he decided to seal the Kyuubi's chakra away again. All he had to do was to change to this team. Curiosity spread in Naruto.

He hid behind a tree to observe the three Genin, his potential new team. They were a year older than him, so he didn't really know them. One of them was a Hyuuga. He used to see him with Hinata a lot back at the Academy. Just like Sasuke he often wore a frown on his forehead. The girl was called Tenten, he'd seen her talk to Naho once or twice, but he never talked to her, nor did she ever talk to him. The third Genin was the weirdest to Naruto. He wore an awkward green jumpsuit and a bowl cut, and had awfully bushy eyebrows. Naruto could only guess that he wasn't exactly the most popular guy. And to make things even weirder, he looked exactly like a younger copy of their teacher.

"Can I help you?" Gai called over to him. The three Genin now noticed him too. "You are Naruto, right?"

Naruto stepped away from the tree. Lee was the only one who didn't recognize him. "I was training nearby and heard you guys," Naruto explained.

"Ah, training hard early in the morning. I'd expect no less from one of my eternal rival's students. Always hardworking and striving for perfection." Gai shed a tear, he already liked Naruto. "Come, join us." He opened his arms wide to welcome Naruto.

Naruto approached slowly. Gai irritated him. Was this some sort of trap?

"Hi there, I'm Lee!" Lee threw a big smile at him, something Naruto didn't see too often from people he didn't know. "If you are Kakashi-sensei's student I'm sure you must be pretty strong."

The looks he got from Neji and Tenten were completely different though.

"You are Naruto Namikaze, right? The son of the Fourth Hokage," Neji said.

Lee's eyes grew bigger. "What, you are? Wait, the Fourth Hokage had a son?"

Tenten facepalmed. "Come on, Lee. How can you not know?"

"No one ever told me!" He grabbed Naruto's hand, holding it tight in his. "Then please, you have to fight me. I need to prove myself."

"Well, don't expect me to go easy on you. I'm not only the son of the Fourth, I'm also going to be the next Hokage myself!" The worlds almost automatically left Naruto's mouth, despite him not really being in the mood to prove himself. At least not to strangers he'd just met.

"Alright, let's do it!"

"Huh? Right now?"

"Just a friendly spar. I don't think you can beat me, but I'm always searching for a challenge!"

Naruto considered for a moment. He somehow liked the enthusiasm of the bushy-eyebrow guy. And some good old physical exercise was exactly what he needed. So he agreed.

Lee took a stance Naruto had never seen before when readying himself, one flat palm raised at him, the other hidden behind his bag. Surely he wasn't going to fight him with one hand. Naruto didn't even care to raise his fists as the fight started. He would know how to move once Lee was going at him.

But Naruto never even saw him coming. Lee moved so fast, the first thing Naruto felt was a punch in his stomach, followed by kick in the face. He didn't manage to raise his fists to block before the third hit knocked him down to the ground.

The next punch he managed to dodge by rolling to the side, but more soon followed.

Lee stopped, still standing in a fighting posture. "I expected more from the son of a Hokage."

Naruto pushed himself up. Not even Sasuke was this fast. "Kakashi-sensei told me you guys were good at taijustu. Guess he was right." He laughed at Lee. He felt bad. He hated losing. But he didn't show it.

Gai gave Lee a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, Lee. You truly beat one of Kakashi's students."

"Taijutsu is our specialty." Lee gave Naruto a thumbs up. "Actually, you could even say taijutsu is my ninja way. I will show everyone that I don't need ninjutsu to become a respectable shinobi."

"Really?" Naruto was starting to get more and more impressed. "But why no ninjutsu?"

Lee blushed and scratched his cheek. "Well, I'm just really not good at ninjutsu… Like, not at all."

"The other Genin teams in our year liked to call us the taijutsu losers," Tenten said. "But then we beat them up."

"They never called _me _a loser," Neji added.

"Right, right. Of course, Neji was never a loser but a prodigy. My bad." Tenten and Lee both laughed.

Naruto could see it. He could see himself as part of that team.

* * *

Kakashi's team met with Kurenai's team at the gates of Konoha. Kurenai arrived together with Kakashi. She'd met him earlier and made sure to drag him along, so he wouldn't be late for once. The first thing she did was to introduce herself to Kakashi's Genin.

"Let's work well together," she said, smiling. Hinata was standing behind her, eyeing Naruto with a soft smile on her lips. Kiba and Shino both nodded at team 7. They already knew each other from the Academy, except for Naho, so they shortly introduced themselves again.

"I'm Kiba, the future Hokage. And this is Akamaru," Kiba said when it was his turn. He'd claimed the title of future-Hokage back in the Academy already. It was something that Naruto would usually make a fuss over, making sure everyone knew that he was the future Hokage and no one else. But not today. Today Naruto's mind was still with Team Gai.

"Kurenai, Kakashi." Someone stopped them before they could leave Konoha. "Could I talk to you?" Naruto immediately recognized him. It was Kou, Hinata's guardian.

He took Kakashi and Kurenai aside to talk to them. The seven Genin only overheard parts of the conversation, but those short scraps were enough to understand what was going on. Kou wouldn't allow for Hinata to go on a mission with Naruto, especially not if he wasn't near. Yet Kurenai had an arrangement with Kou and Hinata's father that he wasn't allowed to accompany them on missions. Kou took his duty very seriously. And it hurt Hinata's progress when he jumped in front of her every time there was the slightest hint of danger.

"I'm sorry," Hinata said in a quiet voice. "Kou is… always very worried about me, but he shouldn't…" She looked at Naruto for just a second. His eyes were locked on the ground, and it hurt her. She didn't want to be the reason Naruto felt this was.

"You can't be serious?" Kou now yelled loud enough for anyone to hear. "Missions are dangerous enough as they are. I can't allow Lady Hinata to travel with _him _on top of that." He pointed at Naruto.

"Kou, please don't say such things," Hinata said, but Naruto stopped her from going over to them.

"It's fine," he said. "I'm used to it. Besides, maybe he's not even wrong." Naruto gave her a big smile, a sad smile.

Hinata blushed at the interaction, but was equally irritated. This wasn't how Naruto usually reacted. Last time, he'd thrown himself straight at Kou to let him know he couldn't treat him like that.

Kakashi and Kurenai handled the situation. They eventually came over to their Genin again, leaving an angry Kou behind.

"Let's go," was all Kurenai had to say.

"Are you sure I shouldn't just skip this mission? I can stay home and train some more." Naruto looked at Kakashi, while putting on a smile. He tried his best to make it sound like this was no big deal at all.

"You are part of team 7, so you are coming."

Naruto was disappointed at his teacher's answer. He'd almost hoped Kou convinced them to leave him in Konoha. This wasn't just any mission. It was a mission in a town far away, which meant they'd spend the night there. Just the thought of being that close to his teammates again at night sent shivers through his whole body.

They left Konoha, and only stopped their ninja sprint again at noon to have a short lunch break.

"How come you never have those nice homemade bentos anymore, Sakura?" Naho asked, looking at the packaged bread bun and onigiri Sakura pulled out of her backpack.

"Ah, making them every day just took way too long."

"Didn't your mother make them for you anyway?" Sasuke asked.

"She did, but I'm not a child anymore. I don't need them." Sakura looked around, desperate for a new lunch topic to talk about. "Hey, Hinata. Your bento looks delicious too. Did your mom make it for you?"

Hinata blushed. "No, I made it myself." Her blushing increased as Naruto scooped closer to her to look at the box full of food.

"Wow, this really looks tasty. I didn't know you are such a good cook," Naruto said.

"D-do… do you w-want…" Hinata started stumbling, holding the bento into Naruto's direction.

Sakura's scream interrupted her. "Hiya, there is an ugly bug on my food! Shino! You still play with these weird insects? This is so gross, take it away!"

Shino silently took the bug away from Sakura's food. It vanished inside his jacket. Sakura shivered at him.

"Pretty sure that bug was more scared of you than the other way around," Kiba said with a mouth full of meatballs.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it seems like you haven't changed either. You are still always yelling around."

"Excuse me?!" Sakura covered her mouth as soon as she realised she was indeed yelling.

"My, are you all lively today." Kurenai smiled at them. "Doing missions with other teams really is exciting, isn't it?" She looked over at Kakashi, who was reading a book. The smile on her lips vanished when she read the title. "How can you read that in front of your students?"

"Haven't you finished that one already?" Sakura asked. She'd stopped caring about her teacher's taste in books.

"It's the second volume," Kakashi said, ignoring Kurenai's appalled glances.

"Unbelievable," she sighed. "Not even Genma would be that bold."

"Who's Genma?" Naho asked the others, wondering how many more people she didn't know.

"He's also a Jounin and teacher. But I heard his team disbanded after they had to make their first kill on a mission," Kiba casually told them, while throwing some of his meatballs for Akamaru to catch.

"They killed someone?" Naho was the only one who really seemed surprised.

"Yeah, I don't know the details. Think it was some psycho serial killer they had to catch. No idea why they'd split up over something like that though."

Hinata barely listened to her teammate, her eyes were focused on Naruto, and her mind was trying to work out the best way to talk to him. This was the first time ever Kou wasn't nearby to scold her for it. She had to make the best out of this opportunity. But because her eyes were always on Naruto, she didn't miss the constant glances he threw at Naho.

"Hey, Naho-chan," he eventually said after they'd finished their lunch. "I bought some mochi. These are your favourites, right? Here, I want to share with you."

Hinata's heart sank. And while she didn't miss any of Naruto's glances, Kiba didn't miss hers. He instantly grabbed the bag of mochi and took them away from Naruto.

"What bad manners. Only sharing with one of your teammates, do you always do that?" He put Naruto into a deadlock. Naruto didn't hesitate to fight back, and a little brawl emerged between the two. Hinata shyly asked Kiba to stop, and Naho offered the mochi Naruto had given her to Kiba. But Kiba didn't really care about the mochi.

"Pathetic." Sasuke closed his backpack and got up. "Can't we just continue and leave these two idiots here?" he said towards the two teachers. Kurenai looked at him in surprise, not used to the harsh tone Kakashi's student used. But Kakashi only ignored his comment.

* * *

Hinata's head was as red as it might get when they arrived at their destination. They were told that there was one room prepared for all of them to spend the night in. Her heart was racing and she just stood there, rubbing her fingers together, while everyone else dropped their bags and got comfy.

"Sasuke-kun, let's sleep next to each other again," Sakura squeaked. It was just like their last mission, with the exception that Naruto didn't try to grab the spot next to her. Instead, he sat down at the other end of the room. Sasuke's eyes followed him, but he didn't say anything.

"It's late already, just rest for today. There is a wedding here tomorrow. It starts early in the morning, so don't stay awake too long." Kurenai already vanished in the bathroom.

Kakashi sighed at Sakura. "Those are some exciting years for you guys, aren't they? Getting all thrilled to sleep next to a certain person." He laid his futon down in the middle of the room. "Come on, Naruto. I'm all thrilled sleeping next to you tonight too." He threw an exaggerated smile at Naruto.

A shiver ran down Naruto's spine. "That's… creepy. Don't say these kinds of things. That's just wrong," Naruto yelled at him. He stopped when he saw Naho giggle at them. Sleeping next to Kakashi was the best thing he could do. He jumped up, filled with new determination. This night would be fine. He would prove to everyone, including himself, that there was no harm sleeping in the same room. He pulled off his jacket and shirt. Hinata almost fainted. He took three paper seals and put them on his tummy. "This should do," he said, a confident smile on his face. He casually went on to put on a sleeping shirt.

Hinata stumbled some unrecognisable words before fleeing the room.

"You know, Naruto. Sometimes less is more. And those seals don't grow on trees. Use them more carefully." Kakashi changed into sleeping wear too.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Sakura yelled at them. Shino and Kiba were also about to take off parts of their clothes. "Don't you know any manner and common courtesy? You already scared Hinata off. Go change somewhere else." She turned around and was suddenly looking at Sasuke again. "But, I mean, since you are all almost done already… you might as well…"

* * *

Naruto could hear everyone's monotonous breathing. He knew they were all fast asleep, and he wished he was too. But he couldn't. He couldn't put this much trust in a stupid piece of paper with some symbols on it. He sat up and looked over at his three teammates. They all slept peacefully. Sakura had turned towards Naho, her arms wrapped around her.

"There's nothing you have to worry about, Naruto," Kakashi whispered at him. "Go to sleep."

Naruto only realised now that he was awake as well. His left eye was still closed. Naruto lay down next to him again. "Have you stayed awake all this time to watch over me?"

Kakashi rolled on his back. "I usually don't sleep much at night. It's just a habit."

Silence returned as Naruto considered going to sleep. "I dreamt of my mother a few days ago," he eventually shared with Kakashi. "I mean, I dream about her a lot, but that time was different. It wasn't a nightmare for once."

Kakashi silently listened.

"She was just sitting there at my table, talking me to sleep." He laughed a bit. "I guess it was a weird dream, first she had blond hair, then red hair." He turned to Kakashi. "Did you… know my mom?"

"Yes."

"What was her hair colour?"

"Red."

A big grin formed on Naruto's face. "Really? Somehow I knew it. I've never seen a photo of her, but I always pictured her with red hair." Kakashi had to remind him to keep his voice down. "Say, what was she like?"

"She was… nice." Kakashi stared up at the dark ceiling. "A lot like you. Loud and bubbly. I guess you managed to inherit her personality."

"I hope I can dream of her again tonight. A good dream." Naruto had his eyes closed. He slowly drifted off. All he could see in his sleep was red hair.

Time passed, and Kakashi was the only one left awake. Pictures of Kushina and Minato kept appearing before his eyes. He rolled to his left, and to his right, and to his left again, until he was caught in a vivid half-sleep. His brain was showing him scenes of his past, making them awfully real.

A kick from Naruto finally woke him up again. The boy went on to turn towards Kakashi and wrapped his arms around him. It was weird. Kakashi didn't like it. But he couldn't just wake him up again now that he finally was asleep. Not being able to sleep peacefully was a curse he didn't wish on anyone else.

So Kakashi just lay there, with Naruto cuddled against him. He listened to his even breathing, wondering if his wish had come true. And after a while, his eyes closed again as well. And this time, his mind rested in a deep sleep with no nightmares.

* * *

Naruto woke up with the feeling that someone was watching him. His eyes shot open, and he looked into both Sakura and Naho's faces. They were close to him, grinning. The two girls giggled, both pulling away from Naruto again. Only now did he feel the arm that was wrapped around him. He looked to his left to find Kakashi-sensei's face right next to his, still fast asleep.

Naruto shrieked, and jumped out of bed. Sasuke was staring at him, throwing a dirty grin at him. "Did you sleep well while cuddling onto Kakashi-sensei like a little baby?"

Naruto charged at Sasuke, running straight over Kakashi. "Shut up, that's not how it was!" Naruto yelled at him.

"It pretty much looked like it," Sasuke kept teasing him.

Naruto jumped at him, knocking him down onto the futon. The two boy wrestled while throwing taunt after taunt at each other. Sasuke eventually managed to get on top of Naruto und pinned him down, sitting on top of him with a smile. Naruto was ready to fight back, but something caught his attention. It was Sakura and Naho, standing next to them, laughing. It was a cute laugh, Naruto a thought. Wholehearted. And all the events of the past days came back to him.

Sasuke let go of Naruto, realising that he'd lost his will to fight.

Naruto stared at his two teammates, both looking amused and carefree. This was what he'd have to give up to join Gai's team, he realised.

"Why's everyone screaming around?" Kakashi sat up, scratching his head. "What time is it?"

Sakura, Sasuke and Naho both threw the same dirty grin at Kakashi, who had no idea at all what was going on. He checked the time, and his eyes grew bigger.

"We are late… Why didn't you guys wake me?" His voice remained calm, and it didn't seem like he was actually going to get up any time soon. "Why are you all still standing there with that stupid grin on your faces? Go get ready!" he told his Genin instead.

They all got dressed in a haste. Kurenai's team was nowhere to be seen. When Naruto opened the door to run downstairs where they were supposed to meet their client, he almost bumped directly into Hinata, who was standing in front of the door.

Her face was red. "N-naruto… I uh, um… I was supposed to get you guys, but… uh…" She wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Sakura and Sasuke who pushed Naruto out of the doorframe. Hinata had to dodge to not get hit by all three of them.

Sakura pulled Sasuke along. Hinata wondered if she could do the same and walk together with Naruto. She'd tried talking to him for all of their journey, but could never find the right time or words. But even now, Naruto wasn't looking at her. He was looking back at Naho, who was standing in the doorway, wishing Hinata a good morning.

"Should we get going? I wonder what today's mission is," he said to her. The smile on his lips wasn't one that Hinata had seen before, and she'd seen many. It felt forced. And sad.

"You haven't paid attention yesterday, have you?" Naho and Naruto walked down the hallway together. "Kurenai-sensei explained it yesterday."

Hinata watched them leave. She'd barely seen Naruto since they left the Academy. And even then, they'd never been close. She'd watched him, that was all she could do. All she was allowed to do. She'd watched him carefully, and that's why she could tell that he'd changed. Something inside of him had changed.

* * *

Sakura had a bright smile on her face once again as she clung to Sasuke. Their mission was to be bodyguards for a wedding. A royal wedding. The wedding hall was decorated with thousands of flowers. Guests were sitting around small tables, wearing their best garments. Sakura loved these kind of events. She loved weddings. Though she'd never been on one, but she'd often dreamt of them. Specifically, of her own wedding with Sasuke. She glanced over at him, giggling to herself.

"Alright, let's split in two groups. One will stay in here, the other one should stand guard outside," Kurenai said.

Hinata was hoping they'd mix the groups up, but, of course, they didn't. She stared at the floor while following her teacher outside.

Team 7 sat down in the back of the big hall. They'd been advised to hide their presence as best as possible, because apparently people didn't enjoy armed shinobi at their weddings.

Sakura gasped at the bride when she was walked inside. She was wearing an expensive looking kimono and jewels on her arm, neck and in her hair. "She is so beautiful!"

Naruto wasn't as impressed. "She's not even smiling."

"Well, obviously she's nervous," Sakura snapped at him.

"She also looks so much younger than him. Like, how old is that guy? 50? 60?"

"Psst!" Kakashi put a finger in front of his masked mouth.

Sakura went on to quietly admire the bride, while Naruto and Sasuke looked around the room, bored.

Outside, Kiba was sitting on the wooden veranda in front of the wedding hall. "What a stupid mission." Akamaru was chasing a butterfly on the field. "Who needs shinobi to stand guard on their wedding. I mean, 9 shinobi."

"He's a lord, Kiba. You never know what kind of enemies they might have." Kurenai was leaning against a pillar, observing the road not too far away from them. It let out of town.

The butterfly fled to Shino and landed on one of his fingers.

"Oh, how beautiful!" Hinata admired it. She caught Akamaru and held him in her arms when he jumped up to snatch at his prey. The dog let out a disappointed whine.

A group of men approached them. They came from outside of town and were dressed in dirty shirts and torn trousers. Clearly they were none of the invited guests.

"Step away," one of them said as Kurenai blocked their way to the entrance.

"Do you have an invitation?" she asked nicely.

"My sister's the bride. Of course, I gotta join the party."

"I'm afraid I can't let you pass without an invitation card."

He immediately got angry at her and attempted to push Kurenai out of the way. Within seconds, she was behind him, twisting his arm behind his back.

The others charged to free their friend. Kurenai had already locked her eyes on them, ready to put them into a genjutsu. But she then looked at her Genin.

"Capture them," she calmly said, dodging away from a punch. She let go of the self-pronounced brother of the bride and positioned herself between door and men again.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you? I just want to see my sister!" the man yelled at her again.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and his team were still sitting on some cushions, watching the ceremony. Bride and groom were in front of the altar, saying their vows. Just as the bride said yes, Kakashi's ears caught something.

"Naruto, accompany me outside. You guys stay here." Him and Naruto tried to leave the ceremony fairly unnoticed.

Outside, Kakashi and Naruto found around 15 men laying on the ground. Some were unconscious, some were trying to flee from some vicious insects, and others had already been tied up.

"You don't understand. I'm trying to _save _her," one of the men said. A rope was tied around his wrists.

"Save whom?" Naruto asked.

"My sister. Please, you have to let me go and see her. Before she's married to that guy."

"Well, I'm afraid you're too late for that." Kakashi said, pulling out his book to use the short break for some entertainment.

"Your sister is the bride?" Naruto asked.

"He's been going on and on how apparently his sister got kidnapped by that lord and is now forced to marry him." Kiba said, arms crossed behind his head. Akamaru was sniffing their captives for food.

"See? I told you there was something wrong with them, Kakashi-sensei! That guy's way too old for her!"

"It's not really uncommon for a man to take a young wife. Especially not if it's a lord," Kurenai explained.

Kakashi pretended to be intrigued by Naruto's findings. "No, please, Kurenai. Let this young expert speak. What's your plan now, Naruto? Go in and crash the wedding?"

Naruto couldn't help clenching his fists. "Well, yes! If I have to," Naruto yelled at his teacher and marched back inside. Kakashi grabbed his jacket before he could reach the door.

"Naruto. Stop picking sides." Kakashi's voice sounded as strict as it could possibly sound. Which wasn't a lot. "Our mission is to make sure everything regarding the wedding _goes well,_ you can't just go in and _crash it._".

"But what if that guy's right and she's forced to marry him? That's not fair!"

"I told you, life is hardly fair. She said yes at the altar. There's nothing you can do about this."

They moved the captives out of the way and locked them into an empty storage shed that was nearby. Surely wedding guests wouldn't appreciate stepping outside to find a bunch of tight up villagers. Naruto stood on the veranda. He refused to help.

Hinata walked up to him. She was nervously playing with her fingers. "I think you are right. She shouldn't be forced to marry someone she doesn't love."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Naruto yelled at her. He hadn't intended to make Hinata cringe, but it was his anger speaking. He could feel it seethe deep inside of him. He turned away from her and ran towards the entrance door.

It opened the moment Naruto wanted to storm inside, and he almost crashed into the groom.

"Careful, boy. You might get my garments dirty." He looked down at Naruto before pushing past him. "I've heard they showed up after all. Good job on catching them."

"What do you want us to do with them?" Kakashi asked.

"Ah, I really don't mind. Kill them for all I care."

Naruto's mouth opened to throw all the insults he could think of at that weird lord. This was the person his anger was supposed to be directed at. But Kurenai's eyes met his for just a second, and suddenly, something blocked his mouth. He opened it further, put his fingers inside. There was something, but he couldn't get it out. What was it? A towel? He gagged, panicked. How did it get there?

"If you don't mind, we'll make sure they safely return to their homes." Kakashi glanced at the brother, who was throwing insults at the lord in Naruto's stead. "And we'll make sure they won't return until the wedding is over."

The lord nodded and went inside again.

Naruto took a deep breath as the towel in his mouth was suddenly gone again. "What was that?" he yelled.

"A genjutsu. You should know by now." Kakashi wasn't too impressed with his student.

"You put a genjutsu on me? Why? That guy just wanted all of them killed!"

"Calm down. Yelling won't do you any good." He walked over to Naruto to put a hand on his head, messing with his hair. It didn't exactly calm Naruto down, but at least it got him somewhat distracted. "Come on, let's get the others and get these guys back home."

Hinata approached Naruto again when Kakashi vanished inside. "I'm sorry… Maybe I should have…"

"No, I'm sorry," he interrupted her. "I shouldn't have yelled at you." He didn't look at her. He was still angry, but not at her. He left to go after Kakashi.

"I wonder if something happened," Hinata said, more to herself, but Kiba still engaged in a conversation.

"Why? Naruto's always had a big mouth. Poor Sasuke and Sakura, having to put up with this on every mission."

"No, that's not…" Again, there was something Hinata wanted to say, but she didn't.

Kiba looked at her with a frown on his forehead. "Speak up when you got something to say." He'd told her those words many times already.

Kurenai stayed at the wedding to make sure nothing else was going to interrupt the festivities, while Kakashi went on a little walk with 7 Genin and 14 captured villagers.

"You guys have no sense for morality," the brother kept telling them. "You are just emotionless tools, aren't you?" He kept going. Naruto was his main target. It wasn't hard to see that his words affected him the most.

Kurenai had asked Kakashi to leave Naruto with her. But Kakashi didn't believe in avoiding problems. So he silently walked in front of them, ignoring the insults and pleads that man threw at Naruto. This wouldn't be the last time the boy would be insulted for choosing the life of a shinobi. It was something he'd have to get used to.

"I didn't become a shinobi to care about morality," Sasuke suddenly intervened. "I became a shinobi to kill those who hurt my precious people. At least that's something I can do. All you do it talk, talk, talk. It's annoying."

"What? You little brat."

"I don't care about your sister one bit. But if she was my sister… I'd be ashamed for being too weak to protect her." It was quiet as everyone stared at Sasuke with open mouths. He kept on walking like nothing happened.

"Wow, that was so cool, Sasuke." Sakura smiled at him, upping her pace to walk next to him again.

But Sasuke's words seemed to hit deep, and the man didn't say another word until they arrived at the small village they lived in.

On their way back, Sakura and Kiba were to only ones to engage in a lively conversation. Sakura felt bad for the girl too, but let everyone know that it was her fault too for being too weak, not only her brothers, and that she would never let something like that happen to herself.

Sasuke and Naruto both stayed out of the conversation. They looked depressed, something that was quite normal for Sasuke, but not for Naruto. Hinata kept looking at him. Her mind thought of hundreds of different ways to start a conversation with him, but none seemed to be quite right. So she just quietly followed after him, playing one scenario after the other in her head.

* * *

"Is this how it's always going to be?" Naruto asked his teacher on their way back to Konoha. "Am I going on mission after mission feeling like I'm doing more harm than good?"

"You need to stop getting emotionally invested in this."

"But how? How can you just stand there and watch when that guy kidnapped a girl and forced her to marry him?"

"You only heard one side of the story, yet you're ready to judge and act accordingly. You are a shinobi. Choosing a side is none of your business. Your side is chosen for you by the Hokage. So start acting like a shinobi."

Naruto kicked a stone that was in his way and distanced himself from his teacher.

Hinata watched him. She'd been so excited to finally be able to talk to him without Kou interrupting, yet they were already halfway back to Konoha and she hadn't managed to speak more than a sentence at a time.

"Why don't you just go and talk to him instead of staring at his back all day long?" Kiba appeared next to her. Akamaru sat on his head, giving her a reassuring woof.

"Kiba! I… I don't know what you are talking about."

Kiba rose his eyebrows at her, grinning. "Oh, you do. Come on, it's obvious."

Hinata blushed and started stumbling.

"Ah, you really are hopeless. Let me show you how it's done. Hey, Sakura!" he called Sakura over to them. She only reluctantly left Sasuke's side. "What's up with Naruto and Naho?" Kiba asked when Sakura walked next to them. Sakura too pretended she had no idea what he was talking about. "Well, Naruto's usually all bubbly and talkative. But every time he just happens to look at Naho he gets all gloomy and serious." He supported his question with fitting facial expressions, which reminded everyone that Kiba, next to Naruto, had always liked taking on the role of class clown. "So what's going on between the two?"

Sakura again claimed she didn't know what he was talking about, leaving Kiba utterly dissatisfied.

"Hey, Naho," he now called the girl in question. He wasn't giving up that easily.

Sakura immediately punched his side. "What are doing? Leave her alone."

"So there is something you are not telling us."

"It's none of your business." Sakura left to go back to her team, which was walking further in front of them. Kiba could tell by the look on Sakura's face that she was telling an excuse to Naho to ignore him.

They stopped at a small temple for their lunch break. The first thing the seven Genin did was to walk up the stairs to offer some ryou for the gods' good fortune.

"Don't you want to say a prayer too?" Kurenai smiled at Kakashi. He ignored her and lay down in the shades of a tree to relax. She sat down next to him. "It's nice that you finally found your own team of Genin. Seems like they are quite a handful."

Kurenai only meant well, but Kakashi was definitely in no mood to discuss his life. So he just pulled out his book again and continued reading.

She sighed.

Kiba couldn't stand the pitiful glances Hinata threw at Naruto anymore. Every time Naruto walked past her, Hinata would start stumbling, searching for words, just to blush and turn away again.

So Kiba thought of a plan. He told Akamaru to hide, and went to Hinata to tell her that Akamaru had run off into the woods, chasing some butterflies again. Hinata was immediately hooked and ready to help. He told her to search the woods behind the temple while he'd check somewhere else.

He waited a moment, before telling Naruto that Hinata wanted to talk to him. Naruto didn't question anything either and made his way behind the temple.

"I didn't think you'd be that invested in getting those two some time together." Shino was leaning against a wall. Kiba hadn't noticed that he watched him. Shino had the gift to become one with any background, completely erasing his presence. Though it often felt rather like a curse to his teammates.

Kiba put his hands behind his head and stretched. "Oh, I just couldn't stand her gloomy face anymore," he casually said and walked off.

Hinata had decided to activate her Byakugan to search for Akamaru when calling his name didn't work. She didn't want to get lost in the woods, and this allowed her to cover a wide area without having to move much.

"Hey, Hinata." Her body shrieked at the sound of Naruto's voice. "Kiba said you wanted to talk to me."

"W-what?" She whirled around, irritated.

"Oh, and he also said he found Akamaru again, so you can stop searching." He noticed the change in her eyes. "Is that the Byakugan?"

Hinata deactivated it again and nodded.

It was the first time Naruto saw it. But he knew about it. Everyone in Konoha did. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Hinata blushed as she stumbled unintelligible scraps of words. There wasn't anything she wanted to talk about. Well no, actually, there was a lot she wanted to talk about. But she hadn't called him. She hadn't prepared. "I uh… well… I guess I just… wanted to ask you how you are?"

"Huh? You called me here to ask how I was?"

Her face turned even redder. "I mean you… seemed a bit down, so…"

Naruto smiled at her and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Was it that obvious? I'm sorry if I worried you." His smile vanished again. "I guess the last few days were a bit… difficult, that's all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He looked at her in surprise, and Hinata immediately averted her eyes again. "I mean… o-only if you want to. I know we don't really know each other that well and all…"

"Hinata. Are you by any chance… scared of me?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, you always shared your chocolate with me in the Academy, and I always thought you were being nice, but… You are so hesitant and gloomy when I'm around. I mean, I appreciate your worrying about me. But if you feel uncomfortable here with me you don't have to stay."

Hinata's heart was beating fast. He'd actually noticed that she liked him. He just… interpreted it completely wrong. "That's… that's not how it is. Actually, I admire you."

He looked confused again.

"People were always so mean to you. Especially Kou-san. I just… I admired that no matter how many times they said awful things to you, you always kept believing in yourself and your dream. I admire that."

Naruto got sad again. He lowered his head. "You are right. I always told myself they were all wrong. But maybe, they aren't."

"What? But…"

"I'm just… So many things have changed recently. I feel… overwhelmed. Becoming Hokage was supposed to be my one goal in life. I always thought everyone would acknowledge me when I'm Hokage. But now I'm not sure anymore if it's enough." He suddenly realised that he was babbling too much. "Sorry, you probably have better things to do than to listen to all this."

"No, I do want to listen. Please, go on."

Naruto didn't. He couldn't. He didn't know her well enough to trouble her with his problems. And he didn't want her to think badly of him if he told her the truth. "Hey, Hinata." He thought of something else to ask her. "With the Byakugan… can you see inside of me?" He saw Hinata cringe and for a moment he wondered if he'd asked something inappropriate. "I mean, it lets you see chakra, right? Would you mind looking at my chakra and tell me what you see?"

Hinata blushed, but nodded. They sat down in the grass next to each other. Naruto clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. If only Hinata could tell him where exactly this monster was supposed to live in him, maybe it would help him.

"Your chakra is orange," Hinata said.

"Orange?" It wasn't exactly the kind information Naruto had been hoping for. Though he wasn't entirely sure what he'd expected anyway. "Is orange good?" he wondered.

"It's a nice colour," Hinata said.

Naruto kept his eyes closed. His hands were still pressed against each other, and he started infusing his chakra into them. "What am I doing?"

"Huh? Um… collecting chakra into your hands?"

He peeked at her. Those eyes really did work. "Is there anything else?" But to his disappointment, Hinata couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. He sighed, letting himself fall backwards. This was no use either.

"Did you want me to… look at the Kyuubi?" Hinata suddenly asked.

Naruto instantly rose again. "You can do that?"

She considered for a moment. "I don't know. It's not like I ever tried. But, I guess, if you used its chakra…"

Naruto nodded. "That's exactly what I've been trying to do. But I… can't find it?"

"Do you know where the seal is?"

"Sure, on my belly. But you can't really see it." He pulled up his jacket and shirt, causing Hinata to blush again.

"You uh… need draw its chakra through the seal, into your own chakra system."

Naruto looked at Hinata with big eyes. "How do you know that? I mean, I have the Kyuubi sealed inside of me, yet I don't know anything about all this."

Hinata averted her eyes. She looked left and right, and up and down. "I uh… I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to tell."

"Huh?"

"It's one of the things you learn as the heiress to the Hyuuga clan." She glanced at Naruto again, though looking him straight in the eyes was still hard.

"I see… a clan secret, huh? Well, nevermind then. Let's try this." He straightened himself and closed his eyes once more. This time, he concentrated on his belly. He tried to draw chakra from there, collected chakra there, let it flow again. Nothing. He tried again, at a slightly different spot, drawing, collecting, distributing. Nothing. He tried again.

"There!" Hinata suddenly yelled. "I see a slightly darker chakra."

Naruto did what he last did. It took a bit, but then Hinata again told him that this was the spot. He'd found it. He drew more chakra, trying to remember the feeling.

"It's a darker orange. No, it's… red."

Naruto drew more and more. Until suddenly, he could feel it. He felt it spread from his belly into his whole body. His hand started twitching. It was like his body wanted to move on its own, but he resisted. There was someone else in his body. He looked at Hinata. Her big lilac eyes stared back at him in wonder. And all he wanted to do… was to kill her.

Naruto pressed his hands on his belly, curling himself up into a ball. "Push it back!" he yelled. "Push it back!" His heart was beating heavily. But slowly, his body relaxed. The feeling was gone as fast as it had appeared. This other being was gone again.

Naruto stayed curled up for a while, too scared something inside of him might actually break out if he gave an opening.

"Are you alright?" Hinata eventually asked.

Naruto wasn't sure. This was exactly what he'd wanted to find. He wanted to find _it_. But now that he really knew it was there, he was scared.


	13. The Day of Remembrance

The day of remembrance was the day that brought families together. Both the dead and the living. All of Konoha was already up and about early in the morning. Families visited bazaars, had breakfast on a food court or sat down together for some tea. They knew their ancestors were with them during these times, so they put down offerings at their graves or at family altars. Some people were already dancing down the streets, forming circles or long straight lines, their hands connected to both family and strangers. It was a way to welcome the spirits, to show them they weren't forgotten. They danced for them, and they sang for them. They celebrated for them.

Sakura didn't have any ancestors she wanted to greet. She had never known her grandparents, or any other person in her family that died. In fact, she had never known anyone at all who died. Right now, she didn't even have a living family to spend the day with.

„I've managed to save up quite a bit, so I'll start looking for my own flat tomorrow." She said to Ino, while helping her tie up her yukata correctly. Ino was wearing a crown of purple flowers on her head. Sakura didn't want to admit it, but she sure was beautiful.

"That's not it," Ino said, putting on lipstick. "I don't mind you living on my floor. At least it offers me new opportunities to look down on you." She grinned. "But they are your family, Sakura. You should spend the day with them. You should make up."

"I can't, Ino. They'll just think they can go on deciding my life."

"Well, if you say so…" She grabbed a small purse, more flowers printed on it. "Anyway, do you want to join me and my parents?"

"No, I'm fine. Like you said, it's a day for family."

"And you are going to do what? Spend that day alone?" She raised an eyebrow at Sakura. "Come on, put on a yukata and join us." She grabbed Sakura by the wrist and pulled her towards her closet. It was filled with all kinds of yukatas, one more gorgeous than the other. Ino sure had everything she wanted. Her father adored her. And her father respected her ninja path. He understood her, supported her. There was only one thing that Ino had always wanted and never gotten, and it was Sasuke.

* * *

Naho approached the Konoha gates. The two shinobi that stood guard raised their eyebrows at her.

"Where are you going, little girl?" one of them asked.

"I'm visiting my parents."

The shinobi didn't look too convinced. "Well, you should definitely be careful out there alone. It can be dangerous outside of Konoha's walls."

His words irritated Naho, but she still continued on. She hadn't been home in a year. But this was the one day she had to. It was the Day of Remembrance.

She walked past fields and through forest paths. Surely she'd be much faster sprinting. But sprinting always felt way too exhausting to her. And there wasn't really anything else she had to do. Kakashi had given them the day off, so she could sit in front of her parents' graves all day long.

It took hours for Naho to make it to the little farmhouse. It sat alone on a big field, pastures left and right. But there were no animals, not anymore. Naho hadn't known what to do with them when she left to move to Konoha. So she'd set them free. It was the only thing she could think of. Every time when she returned, she wondered if she'd see one of them somewhere, maybe a cow grassing nearby, or a pig playing in a puddle in front of her house. But she never did. They were gone. Just like her parents.

She went into the farm first, instinctively taking off her shoes. It was something her mother used to be very strict about. Dirty shoes didn't belong inside. But she soon realised that the floor was much dirtier than her own shoes, so she put them back on again.

It was quiet. So quiet it was almost deafening. She'd told herself she would look at the pictures in their living room, maybe take some with her as a memento. But as soon as she stepped inside, her body froze. She couldn't go further. The blood was still there. She knew without looking at it. So she turned around and left through the front door again.

Her parents' graves were at the back. There were no gravestones. Naho didn't have any. She had to dig their graves herself, drag their bodies there, over the floor and the ground. Grass had regrown, and one almost couldn't tell anymore that there were any graves at all. They'd become one with nature again. The only thing left that gave it away were some stones Naho had collected to mark the spot, and to make up for the missing gravestones.

She put down flowers she'd collected on her way to the farm and told her parents of the life she now lived. They wouldn't be proud of the path she choice, she knew. They never wanted her to go to Konoha. They never wanted her to become a shinobi. But dead people couldn't be lied to. So she told them the truth. Hoping their souls would forgive her on just this very day.

* * *

Sasuke was on his way to the cemetery. The streets were already filled with people, families. It was a day to honour dead family. But over the years it had turned more and more into a day to appreciate the family that was still alive, the people around you. Stalls filled the streets, and little kids ran in front of Sasuke, blocking his way. They were screaming at their parents to try the goldfish game and take part in the lottery. They didn't understand the meaning of this day yet. But they sure enjoyed it.

All those people annoyed Sasuke. They were in his way. They were too loud, too bubbly. But if his family was still alive, he knew he'd be there with them too.

He hadn't been to the cemetery since the day he officially became part of team 7. Fallen leaves and branches lay on their graves. He put a bowl with mochi on the small grave in the middle. And that was it. He'd fulfilled his obligation. There was nothing he had to say to dead people, so he turned around and left again. His eyes fell on Kakashi, who was in a different part of the cemetery, in front of a grave. Sasuke wondered for a moment whose grave it was. But it didn't matter. It was only natural that someone like Kakashi would have lost people. Their eyes met, they both looked away again. And Sasuke left. His time was better spent training.

* * *

Naruto spent his day on the training grounds. But instead of training his body, he sat in the grass, meditating, searching for the red chakra inside of him. He was searching for its origin, for the part of him that was the Kyuubi. But it was hard. Hinata had helped him, but he still didn't exactly know what he was searching for exactly. If only he had eyes like the Byakugan.

His eyes were closed, so his ears drifted off, searching for sounds around him, anything that could distract him from this impossible task.

He could hear the sounds of hands punching wood, and feet kicking wood. Someone had to be training as well. The Day of Remembrance was a holiday. No one was supposed to be training. At least no one who had better things to do, like spending the day with their family.

Curiosity hit Naruto and he went to see who else was spending the holiday alone. He found Neji hitting a tree stump. Neji immediately noticed him and stopped to look at him.

"You are a Hyuuga too, right?" Naruto basically knew nothing about him. But he had the same eyes as Hinata. Whenever he'd seen them talk, he figured that Neji was her big brother.

Neji didn't answer.

The look on his face reminded Naruto of Sasuke. "Hey, do you think you could help me train?"

"Why would I?"

Naruto stepped closer and put on a smiling face. "Just help a fellow Genin out, would ya? I'd ask Hinata, but her stupid guardian isn't letting me talk to her."

"I don't see how training with you could benefit me." He turned away from Naruto and continued punching the stump instead.

"Hmpf, Hinata is a lot nicer than you, you know?" Naruto pouted, but inside, he was wondering if he could truly become Neji's teammate. It would take so much hardship away from his life. He wouldn't have to worry about the Kyuubi anymore. He wouldn't have to do stupid meditation anymore. He could focus on taijutsu and actual training. And like Lee, he could prove everyone what a good shinobi he could be. Sure, Tenten wasn't as cute as Sakura or Naho, but she seemed nice enough. And Lee seemed like a truly nice person, despite his bushy eyebrows. Nicer than Sasuke. "Say, why're you here? Aren't you spending the day with Hinata and your family?" Naruto wanted to know more about this potential new teammate of his.

"I don't have a family."

"But aren't you a Hyuuga? Like Hinata?"

Neji rolled his eyes at Naruto's ignorance. "I'm a branch member. Hinata is of the main family."

Naruto didn't quite understand what that meant, but he knew enough about facial expressions to understand that he didn't want to talk about it. "Well, how about we spend the day together? Seems like we both don't have anywhere to be. I know an awesome ramen shop. We could have lunch together."

Neji stopped his training once again. He looked at Naruto, from top to bottom. "I'll pass." With that said, he walked off, leaving Naruto alone.

Naruto looked after him, there was still a smile on his face. Neji reminded him so much of Sasuke.

Naruto now turned to the stump himself. He gave it some fast punches and kicks, realising he wasn't quite as fast as Neji. This was the kind of training he preferred, the one that trained his body. But he soon stopped, knowing this wasn't what he was supposed to do. He had to go back to finding the red chakra.

* * *

Sakura was sitting on a bench alone, eating sweets. Spending the day with a family that wasn't hers had felt awkward, too awkward. So she'd thought of an excuse to leave them. And now there she was, unable to return home, because she didn't have a key. Or rather, she didn't have a home. She was at Ino's mercy. Who knew how long her family would stay at the festival, or if they even went to have dinner afterwards.

Sakura sighed. She looked awfully cute in Ino's yukata. It wasn't her colour, a light blue with yellow flowers printed on it, but she could still make it work. Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke. What was he doing on such a day? She thought about visiting him. Would that be awkward? She hit her own forehead. What a stupid thought. Of course it would be awkward.

She observed the people passing by. She'd see old classmates from the Academy every now and then. Even Shino had a smile on his face when she saw him with his parents and little sister. Sakura knew he had a sister, but she'd never seen her before. She was cute, way too cute to be the sister of a bug-wielding weirdo. A shiver ran down Sakura's spine as she wondered if that little girl housed bugs inside her body too.

She sighed again and got up, deciding to buy more sweets. If there was a day to eat too much sugar, it had to be this one. She strolled down the street, wondering if her parents would be on the festival too. What would she do if she met them? What would they do? Question after question popped into her head. Maybe she should visit Naho, she though. That wouldn't be weird.

She sat down on another bench to eat. Were people judging her because she spent this day all alone? Her mind kept going, after all, this was all she could do. The day was still long. Long and lonely.

* * *

Kakashi sat down at Ichiraku's. The sun was setting already. Soon yet another day would be over. Ayame was fast to greet him and take his order. There was a big smile on her face. Iruka was there too, sitting in a corner reading. His family had to work even on holidays, especially on holidays when everyone wanted to have a fine dinner out, so he had no other choice but to join them in their little ramen shop on his free day.

"How's Naruto doing?" was the first question he asked Kakashi. He remembered how down the boy had been, but he hadn't seen him since.

"Fine, I guess."

"Eh, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's voice echoed through the shop. "You are here too? What a coincidence!"

Kakashi threw a fake smile at him. "Yeah, what a coincidence." The serenity was gone.

"You know what's even more of a coincidence?" Naruto asked in an overly excited voice, before pulling Sakura, Sasuke and Naho into the shop. He gave them all a hug, which earned him a knock on the head from both Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto had learned to ignore those. "Isn't this the biggest coincidence ever? First I found Sakura, then Naho, then Sasuke… and now here you are!" He sat down next to Kakashi.

A smile instantly formed on Iruka's lips as he saw that Naruto was in good spirits once again.

"This is the first time all five of us have dinner together," Sakura noted, looking at Kakashi in particular. Their teacher had proven to always be busy whenever they went to have dinner.

"Yeah, that's nice. But don't expect me to pay for all of you just because I'm the oldest here," he said in a bored voice.

"I didn't know you like eating here too, Kakashi-sensei. Which is your favourite ramen flavour?" Naruto engaged in a lively conversation about ramen with his teacher. Well, at least his side was lively, Kakashi's engagement was as dead as it could be.

Their ramen got served, and Naruto finally gave his attention to eating instead of talking.

Sakura soon realised that Sasuke kept glancing at her. It was something she wasn't used to. "Is everything alright?" she finally asked, wondering if there was something in her face.

"Don't you have parents you should spend the day with?"

Sakura looked down, then up, and down again. "Well, we had a little fight," she admitted.

"Really? You never said anything. What about?" Naruto asked, slurping some noodles.

"Ah, it doesn't matter." She brushed it off. "No big deal."

Sasuke fished an egg out of his soup bowl. "Big enough that you aren't spending this day with them."

Sakura was irritated. Where did this sudden interest come from? She'd never pictured Sasuke as much of a family man, though she definitely pictured _their _future family. "Well, actually I moved out."

Naruto almost choked on his noodles. "You moved out? When? Why?"

Sakura shrugged. "It's better this way. They wouldn't accept the road I chose for my life."

Naho's eyes grew wider. She was the first to remember the day when Sakura's mother showed up in the woods during their training. Sakura had been convinced their parents wouldn't allow her to continue being part of team 7. Yet she'd shown up to training the next day, pretending nothing ever happened.

"Is that why you never bring those delicious bento anymore?" Naruto pointed his chopsticks at her, until he too remembered the first day Sakura showed up without a bento. "Wait, did you… did you move out because of me?"

Sakura punched him again. "Don't get this full of yourself. I moved because my parents couldn't accept my life choices."

Naruto gave Sakura a big hug. "Oh, Sakura-chan! You are so cute! I never knew I meant this much to you!" She pushed him away again, almost spilling his ramen, which had Naruto screaming in terror.

Ayame laughed at the four kids. "Your Genin are really cute, Kakashi." There was a soft blush on her face, as her eyes were quite fixated on the teacher.

"Thanks. You want them?"

Kakashi's attitude immediately earned him a loud protest from Naruto.

Ayame laughed again. "You guys are also lucky to have Kakashi as your teacher." She wrapped her palms around her cheeks, her blushing intensified. "His face is such a treat for the eye. I wish he'd eat here every day." Iruka dropped his book at the sudden admiration his cousin had for Kakashi. But he couldn't quite find the words to express his feelings, so he just stammered some unintelligible scraps and the conversation went on without him.

"Eh, what do you mean? You saw his face?" Sakura and Naruto yelled at her at the same time.

"Of course, he can't eat with a mask on, can he?"

All four Genin instantly stared at Kakashi, just to see that his ramen bowl was already empty. Disappointed sighs left each of them.

"So what are we going to do tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei? Anything exciting?" Naruto's own question suddenly tempered his enthusiasm. It was so natural to look forward to another day with his team. But what if tomorrow actually turned out to be the last day?

"Ah well, I guess it's finally time for some new ninjutsu, isn't it?"

Everyone's eyes grew bigger. Especially Naruto's. He'd dreamed of spitting fireballs and growing whole forests for such a long time. He looked at Sakura, and then at Naho. They were both smiling light-heartedly. If there was one thing certain in his life, it was that he wanted to protect those two. They were his friends. Whatever he did, it had to be for the best of them. Even Sasuke…

"I hope you are not going to hold us back again," Sasuke murmured in Naruto's direction, interrupting his thoughts.

Naruto simply laughed his comment off. He wasn't in the mood to argue.

"Well, thanks for the food," Kakashi said to Ayame and Teuchi.

"Wait, why don't we all go to the festival together?" Sakura suggested before he could leave. "There is a fire show soon now that it's dark. We should watch it together."

Naho and Naruto both got excited, and even Sasuke didn't object.

"Ah sorry, I still got things to do," Kakashi said, leaving them.

"What could you possibly have to do on a day like this?" Naruto yelled after him, but his teacher only raised his hand to wave goodbye.

Sakura gave Naruto another knock on the head. "What a stupid question. Kakashi-sensei might have some family too, you know?"

"Huh? Yeah, I guess you are right." Naruto was covering his head. "Though I've never actually seen him with anyone." He grinned. "You think he has a girlfriend?"

"Mh, I guess it's possible," Sakura wondered. "Maybe that's why he's always late."

The four Genin paid for their food and went on their way to the festival, still exchanging theories on Kakashi's private life.

Ayame took the bowl away to do the dishes. "So… does Kakashi have a girlfriend?" she asked Iruka, who dropped his book once more.

"Why would you want to know?"

"Well, I gotta know if I could ask him out."

"No," Iruka closed his book. "No, you don't."

"Yes, I do." She happily threw the dishes into the sink and started scrubbing.

"Uncle, say something!" Iruka yelled, looking like he was about to have a heart-attack.

Teuchi only laughed. "Hah, kids. They grow up so fast."

* * *

The streets of Konoha were crowded with family and friends, who were all excited to see the fire show and enjoy a nice evening out. The air was filled with a plethora of smells, ranging from smoked meat to sweet tea.

The shinobi of Konoha were responsible for the yearly fire show and it was one of the rare instances they used ninjutsu for entertainment. The four Genin sneaked around people, searching for openings to get closer to the Hokage rocks, where it would take place.

Sakura was the first to grab Sasuke's hand, both not to get lost and to get closer to him. To her delight, he didn't shake her off, but lightly wrapped his fingers around hers. Her face lit up. It was the first time he returned her advances.

"Where are Naho and Naruto?" Sasuke asked, calling Sakura back to reality.

"Huh? They were next to us just a moment ago." She looked around, but could only see the backs of strangers. It was noisy, with everyone talking to the person next to them, trying to speak louder than the people around them to get heard. People bumped into them left and right.

Sakura was wondering, did she want to find Naho and Naruto again? After all, she was wearing a cute yukata, her hair was done, and she was about to see a fire show with Sasuke. And only Sasuke. But a look at him told her that he didn't quite feel the same. His eyes were skipping left and right, checking the area for their friends. He pulled her along to less crowded areas, trying to get a better view. Sakura too started looking. What good was it to be alone with Sasuke when all he did was search for the others?

"Hey, over here!" they eventually heard Naruto call. "We found a really nice spot. This way."

Naruto and Naho walked up to them, realising the two were holding hands.

Sakura knew how to interpret the grin that formed on Naruto's lips, and she instantly grabbed Naho's hand, making sure she got ahead of him.

"Eh, Sakura-chan! I wanted to hold your hand too!" Naruto complained, just like she'd thought. His eyes checked the two remaining options. Sasuke's face already screamed "don't you dare," at Naruto. So Naruto looked at Naho instead. The last time he'd touched her, he'd wrapped his hands around her neck. She stared back at him with big eyes. Eyes Naruto couldn't read. Was it okay for him to take her hand? Would she be scared of him? What would he do if she pulled away? All those questions went through his head, and he knew that he'd rather take Sasuke's hand after all. So he grabbed it. Sasuke looked like he was going to yell some insults at him for a moment, but then kept quiet after all.

They walked to the spot Naruto and Naho had found, all holding onto each other to not get lost. But they didn't let go again even when they reached their destination.

The show started. Lights lit up from the bottom of the Hokage rocks, all the way up to the top. The faces of the four Hokage glanced in the light of the fires, their faces overlooking Konoha and its people. Fireballs flew through the air and split into several smaller ones. Others formed into different pictures of flowers, leaves and the symbol of Konoha.

Everyone watched in awe, but Naruto couldn't help taking his eyes off to look at his teammates instead. They were more than just his team. They were the people he wanted to spend this day with for the years to come. He unintentionally pressed Sasuke's hand tighter.

Sasuke glanced over at him. "Naruto, are you…"

"I'm just… I really want to spend this day with you guys next year too. And the year after. And the year after that."

The three looked at him in confusion.

"Well, why not. Let's come here next year together as well," Naho said after a short moment of silence.

"You will? Even if I'm not part of team 7 anymore?"

"What's up with you?" Sasuke asked, fairly annoyed.

"I think I'll change to Gai-sensei's team. Kakashi-sensei said I could, and I…"

"What, why?" Sakura was the first to speak, but all three seemed equally irritated at Naruto's sudden confession.

"I don't want to bother you guys. Or… do something even worse. Which is why I'll tell Kakashi-sensei to redo the seal he released. But I can't stay on team 7 if I do that. Because I'd just hold you guys back. I most likely won't be able to use any ninjutsu with that seal. So I'll change to Gai's team to focus on taijutsu."

"So you are giving up?" It wasn't the reaction Naruto had expected from Sasuke.

"I'm not giving up on anything, I'm just doing the right thing."

"You are doing the easy thing."

"What?"

"You were given the power of the Kyuubi. It's a power many shinobi would kill for. But you are just going to throw it away because you are scared. If you don't want it, then I'll take it."

"It's not like I'm lazy," Naruto protested. "I don't mind working hard. I don't mind working hard for months and years if that's what it takes. But yes, maybe I'm scared. I don't want to hurt anyone of you again. I don't want to risk it. I'll gladly pass on this weird demon power if that means I can stay friends with you guys."

"Pathetic." Sasuke turned away from him. He looked up at the Hokage rocks, at the First Hokage. "I guess it was all just empty talk when you said you wanted to become Hokage."

"Of course it wasn't! I'm going to become Hokage. Just you wait, I'll make it without ninjutsu. And without this demon in me."

Sasuke laughed. "You think Konoha needs a Hokage who can't even use ninjutsu? The Hokage is supposed to be the strongest shinobi. He's supposed to protect everyone. But you can't even protect your teammates from yourself without having to put a seal on yourself."

Naruto punched Sasuke, knocking him over to the ground.

"Stop it, you two!" Sakura immediately yelled at them.

"Why do you always have to talk down on me like you are sitting on such a high horse?" Naruto yelled at Sasuke, completely ignoring Sakura.

The two boys rolled in the dirt, both trying to get on top of the other. Some people standing around them threw annoyed glances at them. But no one intervened. If anything, they stepped further away to not get themselves involved in any sort of brawl.

"That's enough!" Sakura grabbed Naruto and pulled him away from Sasuke.

Sasuke immediately got up to throw himself at Naruto in return, but Naho stepped between the two. Their eyes met, and he looked away.

"Why do you always have to pick a fight with Sasuke? Can't you just enjoy the fire show for once?" Sakura put the blame on Naruto.

"What?" Naruto yelled back. "He started this! Why are you always on Sasuke's side, it's not fair."

Sakura was about to defend herself with her fists as well now, but Naho grabbed her hand again.

"Please, let's not fight. Not today." Naho looked at both Naruto and Sasuke, but neither seemed willing to give in just yet. Sakura was the only one who loosened up, remembering that she was wearing a yukata and was supposed to look cute, not frightening.

"I thought you guys would think this is the right decision, ya know," Naruto eventually admitted, lowering his head. He'd expected some support. It was not a decision he was proud of. He needed support.

"I really don't care. Leave if you want to leave." Sasuke turned away from them and continued watching the fire show. Sky lanterns were being launched. They were flying all around them like big stars, slowly reaching for the dark sky to take the souls of the dead with them to the afterlife again.

"I really don't know," Sakura said. "I never knew these tailed beasts would be such a big deal."

"Neither did I." Naruto stood there awkwardly. He hadn't really thought this through and simply said whatever came to his mind. But maybe he should have. Now he'd destroyed the moment.

"I don't want you to leave." Naho's sudden words surprised Naruto. "Not because of me, please." She reached for his hand. "We are friends, right? Even if you change teams, we'll still stay friends. But I'd like us to stay teammates too."

Sakura nodded. "I guess it would be way too peaceful without Naruto's stupidity anyway."

Naruto still wasn't sure. But there was no way he could leave them. Not if they actually wanted him to stay. It looked like he had to pull through somehow.

Naho's hand was softly wrapped around his. Their skin barely touched, but he still felt her soothing warmth.

Sasuke was watching the lanterns rise into the sky. "I'm going home," he said, without turning back to his team.

"Wait!" Sakura tried to grab his hand and stop him, but he pulled away. "What's with him all of a sudden? Man, this was such a nice evening just minutes ago." She sighed in defeat, while watching him vanish in the crowd.

Some distant lights were all that was left from the fire show. They became smaller and smaller.

"Anyway, I can't believe the Third hasn't helped you with this demon issue at all. Didn't he know the First Hokage?"

"Eh? How's that supposed to help?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You do know the First Hokage is said to be the first person to tame the Kyuubi, right?"

"What? Really?" He looked at the big stone face of the First Hokage. It barely showed what kind of man he used to be, just some round rock with two eyes.

"Oh, come on! How often did you skip class, Naruto?"

"But, like… did he have it sealed inside of him like I do?" Naruto's eyes were filled with curiosity. How had no one ever mentioned this to him?

Sakura thought about it for a moment, trying to remember as best as she could what those history classes taught her. "I guess he did? I always thought Iruka-sensei was just exaggerating how great the First used to be. Every time someone showed interest in the topic, he simply said we'd have to become Jounin first to learn of such 'super secret information'. Pretty sure he just had no idea himself."

"It's so weird to think the Third actually knew the First Hokage personally. Our teachers always talked of him like he was some ancient legend." Naho too looked at the stone figures. It was hard to imagine they were less than a hundred years old. Konoha was such a big village already, it was easy to forget how young it really was.

A big grin formed on Naruto's face. "Maybe this is fate after all. I'm destined to become as great of a Hokage as Lord Hashirama himself. And I'll make sure to surpass him!"


	14. The Land of Waves: Part 1

Naruto was full of energy when he arrived at their meeting spot the next morning. He was ready to learn ninjutsu, and he was ready to face whatever demon was inside him. Right after training, he would go to the Third Hokage and ask him all the questions he had.

He brought snacks for his friends. Naruto loved food, and sharing food with people was his way of showing how much they meant to him. He gave some chocolates to Naho, chips to Sasuke, because he'd said that he didn't like sweets, and some carrots to Sakura.

"Why are you giving chocolate and chips to them and all I get are some carrots?! Do you think I'm too fat or what?" Sakura seemed furious, and Naruto not only earned himself one, but two knocks on the head this time.

"But… Didn't you say yourself you were on a diet? You never eat sweets if I offer any, so I thought…"

Sakura only curled her lips at Naruto whenever he tried to talk to her until their teacher arrived.

Kakashi's hair was a mess, and like every day, he looked like he'd just gotten out of bed and didn't check a mirror once. But today, his students didn't care. They were too excited about those ninjutsu skills he'd promised them.

"Alright, you guys already learned about the five basic elements at the Academy, right? Today we'll see for which of those elements you have an affinity. That's the first step to learning ninjutsu. Because you don't want to waste your time trying to learn ninjutsu for an element you have no affinity for. It would take you ages." Kakashi pulled some small pieces of paper out of his pockets and distributed them to his students. When he reached Naruto, he realised he was one paper short. "Ah, well, sorry. Seems like I didn't bring enough."

"Huh, what's that paper even good for?" Naruto wasn't too sad about not getting a piece of paper yet. He had enough paper at home.

"This is special paper. Infuse a small amount of your chakra into it and it will tell you your elemental affinity."

"What, really? The paper can do that?" Naruto looked at Sasuke next to him and his paper, wondering if he'd be able to snatch it away.

"You can have mine," Naho offered. She was the least enthusiastic about learning ninjutsu of the four, although she really did like the fire show they'd watched the night before.

"Oh, it's fine. Keep it," Naruto instantly answered. "I'm sure Kakashi-sensei will get me another one, right?"

Sakura shrieked. "My paper's gotten all wet! How did that happen?"

"Seems like Sakura already found out her affinity. It's water," Kakashi explained.

Naruto's eyes glowed in excitement. He couldn't wait to find out his element.

Sasuke's paper wrinkled.

"Oh, that's interesting." Kakashi looked at Sasuke's wrinkled paper. "You already know fire style jutsu, yet it seems like your affinity is for lightning. Affinities are pretty much inheritable. A lot of people in Konoha, especially the Uchiha clan, usually have an affinity for fire."

"What are you trying to say? That I'm not an Uchiha?" Sasuke said, clearly offended.

Kakashi rolled his eye. "No, I'm saying you diverge from the norm, which happens all the time."

"I always knew Sasuke-kun was special." Sakura sighed.

"What about you, Naho?" Naruto's eyes were beaming. "I wanna see what else this magical paper can do."

"Huh? Should I? Now?" Everyone nodded at her and the girl started to infuse a small amount of her chakra into the paper. It caught fire almost immediately. Naho shrieked, throwing the burning paper away from her.

"And here we have the fire affinity I was just talking about."

"So, what about me? It's my turn now, right?" Naruto was dancing on the spot. He was hoping for fire too. It looked the most impressive.

Kakashi went over to a bag he'd brought and pulled out three books. He handed them to his students. "Here are all the basics on chakra natures. Good luck with these."

"Huh, books? Wait, you are not teaching us?" Sakura was ready to throw the book straight back at her teacher.

"Mh, just look at you guys. All highly individualistic with different affinities. I'm sure the people who wrote those books knew more about your affinities than I do."

Kakashi told Naruto to come along to the Hokage building. They stored more of the magical paper there for teachers to access. The books had tempered his enthusiasm, but there was still enough left.

"You seem to be in a good mood today," Kakashi noted, walking next to him.

The grin on Naruto's face grew even bigger and he leaned in to wrap his arms around Kakashi. "I'm just really happy you are my teacher, Kakashi-sensei!" They stopped for a moment. Naruto gave Kakashi a big hug. "You are much cooler than that Gai-sensei, you know? Sure, you are kind of lazy and always late, but at least you are not wearing a green jumpsuit."

"Uh, thanks. You can let go again." He used his index finger only to push Naruto away. "Guess you talked to Gai, huh?"

Naruto nodded. "I did, I did. But team 7 is my one and only team! You can believe that!" He nodded some more.

Kakashi looked bored, but he couldn't hold back a secret smile beneath his mask.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the Hokage building. A man they didn't know was standing in front of it, looking around in confusion. From his clothing they could tell that he most likely was a civilian.

"Can we help you?" Kakashi asked when they approached.

He held up some documents. "I have an application form for a mission here. It's all filled out. Should I just drop it into this box or…?"

Naruto glanced at the form. He wanted to know what kind of mission it was. Because if it was something exciting, he'd make sure to get his hands on it. Unfortunately, it was simply another C-rank mission to accompany that old guy back to his home in the Land of Waves.

"We can hand it in for you," Kakashi offered.

"Well, you see… I'm in a bit of a hurry. Figured if I gave it to the Hokage in person, I might be able to… you know." He smirked and showed them a bottle of fine sake. "I heard this one's his favourite."

They ended up showing him the way to the Hokage office. The Third was sitting at his desk, a big pile of more forms in front of him. The man introduced himself as Tazuna, a bridge builder, as he gave his application to the Hokage, who was about to drop it on one of the big piles. When Tazuna presented the sake to the Third, he took the form back, put a stamp on it and gave it to Kakashi.

"Your team is free, right? This C-rank shouldn't be a problem for you."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Is this how things work in here?" he yelled at both Kakashi and his Hokage.

Tazuna turned to Naruto. "Don't tell me that brat's going to escort me. Don't you have someone else, Lord Hokage?"

The Hokage shook his head. "I'm afraid most of my shinobi fitting for this mission are occupied already. Usually, we don't answer requests that aren't of a certain degree of urgency this fast, so…"

Tazuna looked at Naruto again.

"Wait, but Kakashi-sensei was supposed to teach us ninjutsu today. We aren't free either!" The last two C-rank missions had not lived up to Naruto's expectation at all, so learning ninjutsu was definitely far higher up on his list.

But arguing was no good. The mission had already been assigned to his team. He pleaded to Kakashi to at least let him know his element first so he could train during their mission, but the Hokage crushed his hopes once more, telling them they were all out of chakra paper.

"Stop sulking. I'm sure they'll have stocked up again once we are back from this mission," Kakashi told him on their way outside. Tazuna followed them. He wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Not fair. This way the others will have a head start on me again! What am I going to do while Naho spits fireballs and Sakura summons waterfalls during the mission?"

"Mh, I guess you can be team leader for this mission. You'll have plenty to do." It was the easiest way Kakashi could think of to make Naruto happy again.

A big grin formed on his face. He'd been hoping for this. "Don't worry, old man! I'll make sure you are all safe. I'm thinking about the crane wing formation, or maybe the diamond? What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah, those both sound great."

"Really, you are putting my safety into that squirt's hands?" Tazuna was not happy at all with the guards he'd been assigned.

"Who are you calling a squirt?" Naruto defended himself. "I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage and one day, I'll be the greatest Hokage this village has ever seen!"

Kakashi was almost glad the boy had found back to his normal self. But only almost.

"Hah, I doubt that. All I see is a squirt. So, can we leave right away?" he turned away from Naruto and asked Kakashi.

They agreed on meeting in an hour, so everyone could get ready for the trip.

* * *

Sakura, Sasuke and Naho had been told to take their books with them. After all, they'd be able to study during their breaks. _The Art of Nature Transformation _also made for a nice bedtime story according to Kakashi.

"Maybe you should read it to Naruto. He might learn one or two things. Or three or four," Kakashi said while they set up a camp. Reaching the Land of Waves in a day, especially while escorting a civilian, was impossible.

"The only book I'd read to him would be _The Art of Not Being a Complete Pain in the Neck,_" Sakura complained. Naruto took his work as team leader very serious again, even more so than he usually did since they were on a mission.

"What did I do? I just made sure the old guy is safe. And for the safety of my teammates…" Naruto looked at the three tents that were being set up. "I decide that Naho and Sakura will both stay in my tent tonight!"

Sakura gave him a knock on his head. "Stop being an idiot."

Naruto kept complaining how Sakura did the exact same thing when she was team leader on their first C-rank. He didn't really want to spend the night close to those two, but he was hoping for some backup from his teacher, simply to get some assurance that he was making the rules. But Kakashi's thoughts were somewhere else.

Someone had been following them. Two people most likely. But they'd been reckless at hiding their presence. His four Genin hadn't noticed them yet, but to Kakashi, they might as well have run around right in the open. Either they didn't care enough or were Chuunin level at best.

Kakashi's eyes switched from the shadows of the woods around them to Tazuna. He seemed nervous. The sun was already hanging low. "What did you say was your occupation?"

"Carpenter and master bridge builder."

A safe job. Safer than being a shinobi. It was more likely those shinobi were after himself. Or Naruto. Or even Sasuke. He got up, telling his students to continue making camp. A fire wasn't allowed though. He had to lure them out before nightfall.

"Where are you going, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sorry, nature's calling." He walked off into the forest, away from his students and Tazuna. He had to find out what they were after. Whom they were after.

Naruto took out two cups of instant ramen. Sakura reminded him that he needed boiling water for those, which wasn't possible without a fire. Naruto decided to try with cold water, because water was water after all.

"You're a lost cause, aren't you?" Tazuna said, shaking his head at Naruto.

"Lost cause?" Naruto didn't understand what he was talking about. Tazuna only sighed.

Suddenly, kunai flew through the air, aiming straight for Tazuna. All four Genin saw them fly, but only Sasuke was fast enough to react. He grabbed some shuriken from his bag. They collided with the kunai, throwing them off course.

Two shadows appeared out of nowhere before the kunai could even hit the ground. One of them swung a metal chain at Sasuke, who managed to dodge. He went for a counterattack, managing to land a hit, but another chain flew at him from behind. It wrapped around Sasuke, leaving him unable to move.

The two shinobi both charged at Tazuna again. Sakura jumped in front, ready to block for him.

"What should we do?" Naho's voice was almost a whisper, her eyes switched between Naruto and the fight happening in front of them.

"Naruto, protect Sakura," Sasuke yelled, rolling left and right to free himself from the chains. "Naho, go get Kakashi."

Naho didn't have to think twice and immediately turned around to run into the direction their teacher had vanished. Her heart was racing, but she was glad. Running away from the fight felt the most natural to her.

The two shinobi were right in front of Sakura and Tazuna now. One was raising a short sword at Sakura. Naruto watched in horror. He knew what would happen next. They would strike. The sword would cut. But he couldn't move. His feet didn't want to get into the fight.

The ground in front of Sakura broke open, and someone else jumped out of the hole. Kakashi stood between her and the two attackers. It took less than a second for his own kunai to find the enemy's heart. His free hand simultaneously disarmed the second shinobi and slammed him to the ground.

His three students stared at him with open mouths. Naho came back, another Kakashi walking next to her. He vanished into thin air. She got confused when she saw Kakashi standing over two bodies. One he held down with his foot, the other was lifeless. A pool of blood formed on the ground. Her eyes grew bigger.

"Good job, Sasuke. You saved our client there." Kakashi's voice was calm, like it always was. Just another day. "You too, Sakura." He seized his captive by the collar and pulled him up.

"How'd you get back this fast?" the shinobi asked.

"I was never gone." Kakashi looked at Tazuna. He seemed surprised, shocked almost. But not shocked enough. "Why are you after the bridge builder?"

"I was told to kill him."

"By whom?"

"My Lord Mizukage. It was just a mission, nothing personal. Please, don't kill me."

"Who's the client of your mission?" Kakashi asked, his eyes studying both the shinobi from Kirigakure and Tazuna.

"I don't know. They never give us much information about missions. I really don't know anything." He was talking fast, with fear in his voice. Kakashi was holding a blade to his throat. "Please, just let me go."

"Who is after you?" Kakashi looked at Tazuna. "This is at least a B-rank mission if there are enemy shinobi involved. You knew there was someone targeting you, didn't you?"

Tazuna opened his backpack and took out a bottle of sake. He took a long drink before answering. "Sorry, you're right. A man called Gato is after me."

"Gato? You don't mean that super wealthy chief executive of some shipping company, do you?" Sakura recognized the name. It was part of a shinobi's life to know the most influential people of each country. And Gato was definitely one of the richest.

"That's exactly who I'm talking about. He runs a despicable business, ruthlessly taking over nations and enterprises. He's set his eyes on the Land of Waves around a year ago. Before anyone knew it, he'd taken complete control over our island's maritime transportation and shipping. In an island nation like the Land of Waves, controlling the ocean means controlling finance, the government, the people… everything."

"What does that have to do with you?" Sakura asked again.

"I'm a bridge builder. I started building a bridge to the mainland."

"And this bridge would ruin Gato's profit. I see," Sakura concluded, a thinking finger on her chin.

"If you knew that why did you apply for a C-rank mission? These kids are not trained enough to do these kinds of missions."

Tazuna laughed. "Your B-ranks aren't exactly affordable for a small, broke country. What was I supposed to do?"

"Well, this mission ends here. The only question left is what we're going to do with this guy." He had a better look at the shinobi from Kirigakure, who was no older than his own Genin. Killing him was still the most convenient approach.

"You… aren't going to kill him, are you?" Naho looked like she was about to cry.

Sakura too looked concerned. "He's so young."

"Kiri has a very different training system for shinobi. It's harder, more ruthless. Don't let his appearance fool you." He looked at Naruto, who'd been standing there all this while with clenched teeth. Kakashi could feel another speech coming. "What is it, Naruto?"

"We can't give up on this mission," Naruto blurted out. "Let's continue."

Sasuke grinned. "So you can get all scared again?"

"I'm not getting scared anymore," he returned instantly. "Next time I'll –"

"We are not continuing this mission," Kakashi cut him off. "You guys are not ready for this. And we weren't paid for this either."

Tazuna kept drinking sake. "Sure, just go back again. It's not like I'm gonna be dead before I arrive home. I'm sure my daughter will be heartbroken. Forever blaming the Konoha shinobi. But really, I understand."

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei. I'm the team leader, am I not? I thought I got to decide. I want to continue." Naruto was eager. Too eager.

Kakashi knew Naruto's decision made no sense and was emotional instead of logical. He also knew that this was one of the situations he was supposed to put his foot down and protect Naruto from himself. But then his eyes drifted away, to the Anbu following them. He'd lost track of them. Yet he knew they were there, watching. "I guess we might be able to make it to the Land of Waves before Kiri realises their mission was a failure."

The Kiri shinobi's eyes grew bigger. "I won't tell them, I promise."

"We can't let you go, sorry. You'd just come back for us." Kakashi raised his kunai again.

"Don't!"

He looked at Naho. There was terror in her eyes. Terror and disbelief, and Kakashi wondered how these children could be so different from his own young self. They were soft, inexperienced, forgiving. And stupid. "We can't let him go, Naho. He'll just attack as again or report back to Kiri. They'll send even more shinobi." He looked for signs of understanding in her eyes.

"Can't we just take him with us?" Naruto asked, happy he could contribute an idea.

"Do you want to be the one who shares his tent with the enemy?" Sasuke asked. "Just kill him."

"But… he's like us. He was just doing a mission," Naho said.

Kakashi sighed. "Alright, Naruto. You want to be the team leader, so be the team leader. Decide what we are going to do. But be aware that as the leader, you will also have to deal with the consequences of your decisions." Those kids would never grow up if he kept coddling them.

Sakura, Sasuke and Naho all stared at Naruto, who didn't have to think twice about his decision. "Alright, we'll continue the mission and let this guy go!"

"Idiot, didn't Kakashi-sensei just explain that he'd just come back with back-up if we do that?" Sakura said.

"Oh right. Well, then we'll take him with us. Sasuke, go search him for weapons." He pointed a demanding finger at Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't move. "You can't be serious. Kakashi?"

Kakashi only shrugged. "The boss has spoken."

"I'm not following the orders of a scaredy-cat. Leadership has to be earned." Sasuke turned around and simply left to continue setting up his tent. The conversation was over for him.

"Hey, come back! Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke's being a bullhead."

Kakashi shrugged again. "I'm just the guy making sure this Kiri shinobi doesn't run away first chance he gets. So, is anyone going to tie this guy up any time soon?"

Naruto reluctantly took over the job he'd assigned to Sasuke and searched the shinobi for weapons and scrolls of any kind. Afterwards, he started tying up his hands behind the back.

Kakashi looked his student over the shoulders, commenting every step with an '_Mh', 'Hmm' _or_ 'oh'. _

Naruto eventually lost patience. "What's wrong? Stop making those sounds, you are distracting me."

"You are tying him up completely wrong!" Sakura bumped Naruto aside to do the job herself. She undid whatever Naruto did, and used a tying technique they'd learned at the Academy, one that made it impossible for the enemy to still weave signs.

"Just to be clear." Tazuna sat down next to Sasuke, observing them while continuing his drink. "If this goes awfully wrong, this isn't even my fault. You really shouldn't let those kids handle things around here. Just look at the brat. He's all green behind the ears. I'm doomed, am I not?"

Kakashi ignored the insults his student threw at their client, and went to look at the dead body of the second shinobi again. He was older, maybe around his own age. But it was an unknown face. None one would find in a bingo book. Kakashi searched his body for any signs of a Kekkei Genkai. But there was none either. It was common procedure. Dead bodies always had to be checked for those. He opened a scroll and sealed the body away. It cost a good amount of chakra, but this way he could at least make sure the body was gone.

His students tied the other Kiri shinobi to a tree. It was going to be a long night for Kakashi. He couldn't possibly go to sleep with this guy around. It was probably best to send a messenger back to Konoha and have someone pick the Kiri shinobi up. They could return him to Kirigakure as soon as their mission was over. There was a peace agreement between Kiri and Konoha, killing their shinobi was unacceptable, except for situations like these in which their missions simply clashed. In this case, the shinobi of either village wasn't responsible for the deaths, their clients were. Returning their shinobi alive would surely be seen as a gesture of goodwill. He summoned Pakkun and sent him back to Konoha with a message for the Hokage.

"How's the Fourth Mizukage doing?" Kakashi wasn't expecting to learn anything interesting from their captive. But that didn't mean he couldn't try. The shinobi looked away. No answer. Despite the peace agreement, the relationship between Kiri and Konoha wasn't exactly a good one. Their Mizukage was young, and secretive. And Kirigakure was one of the most dangerous villages to send spies to, because they didn't hesitate to kill even their own people.

* * *

The girls were talking about their elemental affinities and what they read about it in the books Kakashi gave them. It had gotten too dark to read, but none of them was tired yet. Naruto was complaining because his ramen from earlier turned out not tasty and cooked at all.

They all sat around in a circle. Sasuke was the only one of the four who didn't take his eyes off the Kiri shinobi.

"Hey, aren't you a Genin like us?" Naruto eventually asked. He seemed excited to be able to talk to someone from a different village.

This time, the shinobi showed a different reaction. He smiled at Naruto. "We don't have that system. Either you're a shinobi or you're not." He wore a scar on his forehead, as well as his cheek. But they were barely visible in the dim light.

"Eh, really? How does your Kage know which missions to send you on then?"

"Do you have to chat with him? He's still our enemy." Sasuke grunted. "Knowing you, you are probably going to blurt some of Konoha's secrets out sooner or later."

"Why shouldn't I talk to him? It's not his fault that the Mizukage gave him this mission. I'm sure he's not a bad guy."

"Exactly, his mission is to _kill_ our client," Sasuke reminded Naruto.

Tazuna agreed with some silent nods, before continuing to pour sake down his mouth. Sitting close to a guy ordered to kill you sure made you nervous.

"You have two cute kunoichi teammates there. I wish we got assigned to teams like that too." The Kiri shinobi looked at both Naho and Sakura with a smile on his face.

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm already taken." Sakura turned away from him to flutter her eyes at Sasuke.

"What do you mean? You don't get assigned to teams? I didn't know other villages were this different." Naruto was intrigued by this other shinobi. He wished he knew more about other villages, but he basically knew nothing at all. If only this guy hadn't been assigned to kill that stupid drunkard of a bridge builder, maybe Naruto and him could have become friends.

"We usually work in two-man squads. They guy he killed…" His eyes switched to Kakashi for a moment. "He was my mentor. They help you with your first few missions."

"One of your first missions… is to kill someone?" Naho couldn't quite believe her ears.

"Really? Have you already done all your dog-walking and weeding missions?" Naruto was equally surprised.

"Dog-walking and weeding? That doesn't sound like ninja work. Why would I do that?" His eyes narrowed.

"Alright, that's enough for today. We need to continue our journey early tomorrow." Kakashi could only hope that the Lord Third would send someone after them soon to relieve them of that guy. He took his Genin aside, to talk in private before sending them off to their tents.

"You guys should be more careful around him. Especially you, Naruto." He looked at the boy, but Naruto didn't seem to quite get his words. So he continued. "Kirigakure is nothing like Konoha. I know this might seem unimaginable for you four, but killing is part of a shinobi's life, and Kirigakure makes sure their shinobi know that. Don't think that guy will hesitate cutting your throats in your sleep."

The two girls looked at him with big, worried eyes again. Sasuke wore his usual know-it-all-already expression, though this time Kakashi believed he might actually be the only one of the four who truly understood. And Naruto narrowed his eyes in disbelieve.

"How would you know?"

"Because I've lived in this world slightly longer than you, Naruto. Like, twice as long. You have never heard of the Bloody Mist, have you?"

All of them shook their heads.

"Kirigakure is also known as the Village of the Bloody Mist among foreigners. That's because their graduation exams include killing someone. But not only _someone. _The students of a class fight each other as a last exam, one on one, to death. So you can be certain that his guy has killed one of his classmates in order to become a shinobi."

There was silence among his students. Even Sasuke seemed slightly surprised, though he tried his best to hide it by averting his eyes.

"So, maybe don't get too attached to him, Naruto. You might wake up to a bad surprise."

Naruto bit his lips. "That's not fair. Why would Kirigakure do something so horrible?" He yelled instead.

"Keep your voice down. He doesn't have to hear everything." Kakashi knew it wasn't fair. But it was reality. "Go to bed now. I'll start keeping watch." He held Naruto back, and waited for the others to leave. "You should be especially careful that he doesn't find out you are Konoha's Jinchuuriki, Naruto." His voice was no more than a whisper.

"Why? What could he possibly do?"

Kakashi sighed, rubbing one half of his face. "You know a Jinchuuriki is both the strong and weak spot of a village. Being one makes you a target. They might kidnap you, they might kill you. Who knows."

Naruto still didn't quite understand. "Well, I definitely don't intend to tell him but… I think you are overreacting, Kakashi-sensei. No one ever tried to kidnap or kill me. Everyone always just avoided me."

Kakashi's eyes searched for the Anbu. He wondered if they could hear their conversation, if they were listening. The fact Naruto wasn't even aware of any danger at all sure was a sign how well protected he'd been. He just never knew.

* * *

  
Kakashi lay next to Tazuna. Their tent reeked of sake, and despite all the worries and complains Tazuna had before going to bed, he'd dozed off immediately, and was now snoring peacefully.

Kakashi had summoned Shiba, another one of his ninja dogs, to keep watch with their Genin. He couldn't trust those children enough with a shinobi from Kiri. But especially the sealing jutsu and shadow clone had been costly for his chakra level, so he had to forget about the enemy right outside and go to sleep. But he couldn't.

He lay awake reflecting about himself and his behaviour. It irritated him. He'd told himself that his Genin had to grow up, and that it was the reason he'd spared the enemy. The right thing to do would have been to kill him and show those kids that that's the world they lived in. That was how you dealt with enemies. Instead he allowed Naruto to take charge and have the enemy accompany them day and night until someone would pick him up. It was foolish, and risky, even though that guy was barely Chuunin level. But he couldn't kill him. He didn't want to. Not in front of Naho and Sakura. The way they looked at him made him weak, with their big innocent eyes. He wanted them to be right. He wanted this Kiri shinobi to be a harmless Genin.

Kakashi turned over to his side, sighing. His mind was torn between training his students, readying them to survive in this harsh world, and keeping their innocence, their childhood. He didn't want them to become soldiers at such a young age like he was. But some things couldn't be avoided.

A scream tore Kakashi away from his thoughts. It was Sakura. He immediately got up to run outside, but stopped for a moment to summon another shadow clone.

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke and Naho went outside as well. It was dark, but the moonlight was just bright enough to see what was happening. The Kiri shinobi had freed himself and took Sakura hostage. He held a kunai to her throat.

"It seems he managed to break free," Shiba explained to Kakashi. "I'm sorry, he moved awfully fast. There was nothing I could do."

Kakashi looked over at the tree and the ropes laying there. "Seems like they got cut. He must've had a hidden blade somewhere."

"What? But I searched him thoroughly. Really!" Naruto stared at Sakura with big eyes. Was this really his fault again?

"Tsk, idiot. You don't manage to get the easiest tasks done." A fight was about to break out between Naruto and Sasuke.

"Quiet," Kakashi said with a lot more sharpness in his voice than usual. "You two realise this isn't the right time to fight each other?"

The two boys shut up and looked into different directions.

"If you don't want me to kill this girl, you will do as I say, do you understand?" The Kiri shinobi pressed the kunai harder onto Sakura's throat. One wrong move and it would cut into her skin. "Go send your summon away again. And you there," he nodded to Naruto and Naho. "Take those ropes and tie the other two up."

Naho stared at her sensei, waiting for any sort of signal if she should really tie him up. He nodded. So she walked him over to a tree and wrapped the rope around his upper body. Shiba vanished into a whirl of dust after wishing Kakashi good luck.

Naruto did the same with Sasuke.

"Old guy, come out of that tent," he called Tazuna. "I know you can hear me. I'll kill her if you don't do as I say." It only took a moment until Tazuna came out of his tent. "Good, come over here now."

"Don't." Sakura's voice was almost a whisper. "He'll kill you if you come here."

"Quiet." He pressed the blade closer to her throat. "Come here or I'll kill her."

Naruto and Naho exchanged looks. Both were hoping for the other to have an idea, a plan. But they had none.

Tazuna slowly approached the Kiri shinobi. He had no choice. With Kakashi tied up and Sakura taken hostage, there was nothing else left to do.

A grin formed on the shinobi's lips. He took the blade away from Sakura's throat when Tazuna was close enough. But he wasn't going to let go of her just yet. Instead, he was ready to stab her stomach, knowing a wounded ally offered more distraction than a dead one.

His blade was about to pierce Sakura's skin, when suddenly, it just stopped. The Kiri shinobi was surprised at his own movement. He wanted to stab her, wanted his kunai to continue moving. But he couldn't. Instead, his hand moved on its own, and opened to let the kunai fall to the ground.

"Sakura, now," Tazuna said, and Sakura used the opportunity to hit her elbow into his stomach and free herself. She jumped to Tazuna, ready to defend him again, just to realise that it wasn't Tazuna after all.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Go back to the others," he said. His Konoha headband no longer covered his eye, and Sakura could see that his left eye was nothing like the right one. It was red, with three black dots in it.

"What's happening?" the Kiri shinobi stared at Kakashi in horror. "Who the hell are you? What's that eye?"

Kakashi slowly picked up the kunai his enemy had dropped. "We would have returned you back to Kirigakure alive if only you had cooperated a bit more. But you are too much of a threat after all."

"I'd rather die here than return to Lord Yagura with a failed mission." He tried to jump away and get some distance between them.

Kakashi let him. He let him run, but he didn't let him run away. He killed him as soon as they were out of sight from his Genin.

They all knew what had happened when he returned alone. But they didn't ask.


	15. The Land of Waves: Part 2

Just like Kakashi had predicted, they made it to the Land of Waves without further incidents. It seemed Kirigakure hadn't realised yet that their mission failed. Or at least the back-up hadn't arrived.

They had to take their last part of the journey by boat. It was still the only way to reach the island.

"You better not start working on that bridge again any time soon. They'll send more after you if they realise you are alive." Kakashi looked at the mist around them. It allowed them to enter the Land of Waves fairly unnoticed. Using anything but Gato's overpriced shipping company was illegal.

"Dammit!" Sasuke threw a burning leaf into the water.

Kakashi had given them the exercise to practice their elemental jutsu on leaves. Sasuke was supposed to make them wrinkle, just like the chakra paper had wrinkled when he infused his chakra. But every time he tried; the leaf caught fire.

Tazuna ignored the boy's complaints. "I can't just stop building that bridge. If I do, my country is doomed."

Sasuke threw another burning leaf out of the boat. Naruto warned him not to set the boat on fire, but Sasuke completely ignored him. "Are you sure that stupid paper was right, Kakashi? Maybe my affinity is just fire after all."

Kakashi wondered for a moment. "It's not surprising this exercise is harder for you than for the others." His eyes fell on Naho, who'd managed to set her paper on fire almost immediately, despite being from a civilian family. Civilian families taught their children nothing about chakra control and nature transformations. Sakura had taken longer, but she too could dampen her leaves if given time. "Your body is already used to transforming chakra into fire energy. It doesn't mean the paper was wrong. You'll just have to break old habits and learn something new."

"Why? I can just stick to fire style jutsu."

"Sure, you can. A Jounin is usually required to have mastered two elements at least. But if you don't care about that, just using fire style is enough. Also, you already know the basic fire style jutsu, which is all a Genin is required to know." Kakashi smiled at him. "Why not just stop practicing altogether since you are already so proficient?"

Sasuke grunted, but took another leaf to try again.

Naruto was awfully jealous. He was the only one who couldn't practice. It made him feel so left out, he even took some of the leaves and randomly infused chakra, hoping there might be any sorts of reaction that would tell him his element after all. But there was none.

Kakashi told him to work on his general chakra control instead, more specifically, on his demon control, but Naruto couldn't focus. Those burning leaves distracted him too much.

They eventually arrived at a shore, not too far from the capital according to Tazuna. The mist was still so dense that Naruto and the others could barely see any land at all.

"Well, here we are," Kakashi said. He didn't get out of the boat.

"So am I getting some of my money refunded now that you guys are leaving early?"

"What?!" Naruto jumped out of the boat straight into water, getting his sandals all soaked. "You lied to us and I worked hard to even get you this far. And you are seriously asking for a refund?"

"I paid for you guys to accompany me back to my country and assist me with building the bridge." He held the copy of the mission contract up, pointing to the relevant parts. "I get there were some… _unforeseen _complications during our journey, but all you gotta do now is help me carry some bricks. If someone happens to come and murder me in front of your eyes, ya know, just stand by and watch. That's totally fine."

They all stared at him, speechless. "What a wicked old guy…" Sakura said, but she tried to keep her voice down. He was still their client after all.

"I will ask the Hokage for a refund. It's his decision." Kakashi looked back over the water. He could barely see anything, but there had to be someone from Konoha coming their way. At least another Chunin team should have been sent after Pakkun delivered his message.

"I'm willing to pay the additional amount once I got the money."

"I can't stand you old guy." Naruto tried his best to wring the water out of his sandals. "But I don't want to abandon this mission! How will that look like on my mission record? Let's build this bridge!"

Kakashi scratched his head. If he thought worst case, then Gato definitely had the money to hire more high-ranked shinobi. He might even have to face another Jounin should they continue. But that was worst case. Realistically… Kirigakure had no idea yet their mission failed. And they wouldn't have reported back to Gato yet, and thus Gato wouldn't have hired more shinobi. There was no need. And realistically, there was back-up coming from Konoha. And there were the Anbu, who were sworn to protect at least one of his Genin with their lives.

"Alright, we will continue for now."

Everyone of his team was surprised at his answer, except for Naruto. He jumped into the air, excited this mission wasn't over yet.

* * *

Their way to the village took them through a foggy swamp. They were walking on a wooden footpath, old and slippery. The water around them was of a greenish colour, and covered by so many plants that it almost looked like a there was no water at all.

But the fog soon lightened as they got closer to the village. It was built half on land and half on water. Wooden platforms swam on the water surface, connected by little pendant bridges. It was enclosed by forest on the one side, and the ocean on the other.

Kakashi's Genin ran ahead, excited to see houses build on water. Only Sasuke stayed next to him.

"When you fought that Kiri shinobi, your left eye… How did you get the Sharingan? You are not an Uchiha."

Kakashi smiled. "It was a gift."

Naruto jumped up and down on the wobbling bridge, earning him more punches from Sakura.

Tazuna showed them to his house, inviting them to stay there during the mission. They would continue building the bridge the next day.

It was late into the night when Kakashi left the small room he shared with his students to get some fresh air. Sasuke was laying between Naruto and Sakura. Both were snuggling up to him.

The moonlight was so bright that Kakashi could see all the way to the unfinished bridge.

"You actually haven't visited me yet. I'm slightly disappointed."

Kakashi didn't have to turn around to know that it was the Anbu girl that appeared behind him.

Kagura stepped next to him. Her hair was of the same colour as the moon.

"Sorry, I'm not really interested."

"What is it you're not really interested in exactly?" She moved her face in front of his, trying to get him to look at her. "Talking to me? Spending time together? A relationship? Sex? Or are you really just not interested in me as a person?"

"You are very direct." He glanced at her, at the smirk on her face. "And stupidly incautious. Do you always give seals to strangers that basically allow them to stalk you?"

She laughed. "No, I made an exception for you. I'd be honoured if Kakashi Hatake chose to stalk me. You are quite… intriguing. Maybe it's the mask. But I'm not going to lie, you are a pretty famous person in Konoha. And I have always been sort of a trophy huntress."

Kakashi barely looked at her. The situation felt awkward. This was no behaviour he expected from an Anbu member. "Is this all you are here for or is there actually something important you wanted to discuss?"

She looked like she suddenly remembered something. "Right, I was supposed to tell you that Komachi is rather pissed at you. I don't know if you know her, but… she's one of my partners and rather strict. I had to listen to her complaints all the way here because you chose to not cancel the mission."

"That's none of her concerns."

"Well, she's convinced you are only doing this because you know we are close-by. But she wants you to know that we are not going to intervene in anything as long as Naruto is not in grave danger. You cannot take us into account when making decisions on a mission."

She leaned into him, pressing a kiss onto the side of his mask. "You better go back to Konoha fast and visit me."

Kagura vanished, leaving only Kakashi and a soft blow of air behind.

* * *

The next days, team 7 helped Tazuna build a bridge. The faster they were done, the better. Naruto was not too satisfied dragging stones and planks around all day. He let everyone know that he wanted to meet those "stupid Kiri shinobi again to beat their asses".

"You shouldn't wish to get attacked by other shinobi, Naruto," Kakashi scolded him. "This is not a game."

A fireball flew over the water, before vanishing into to the ocean. Naho and Sakura were practicing elemental jutsu during their break.

"What? How can you already spit fireballs?" Sakura yelled at her teammate. Her eyes were just as big as Naruto's, who couldn't help feeling more and more jealous.

Kakashi quietly observed his student's training. He didn't show it, but inside, he was even more surprised than Sakura and Naruto at Naho's fast progress. Because he knew well enough how difficult learning the first elemental jutsu was, and he'd never seen someone learn them this fast. She lacked the same drive as Naruto and Sasuke, and even Sakura. Yet she was weirdly talented.

"I told you, Kakashi-sensei! This is not fair, now Naho is really spitting fireballs and I don't even know my nature yet. Just because you couldn't even count to four." Naruto pouted and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked.

"Into the village to buy more lunch. Maybe I'll bring some for you guys too, but you can only hope I'm better at counting than you are."

Naruto left in an overly dramatic manner, kicking stones away that were in his path. But as soon as he was out of view of his teammates, he stopped, and his gaze dropped. So many dark thoughts and emotions occupied his head. He felt left behind, jealous, like a failure. And no matter how often he washed them away, they kept crawling back.

The village was small, a lot smaller than Konoha. But Naruto still managed to get lost.

He saw a young boy sitting in one of the smaller side streets, wearing torn clothes. His skin was dirty, and Naruto could count every bone in his body by just looking at him.

Naruto gave him the lunch he'd bought for himself and his team. The boy smiled at him, and more children showed themselves to Naruto. They had seen his good deed and expected something similar. But Naruto didn't have food for all of them.

He continued walking down the road, with empty pockets. He'd given every last penny away. But it was alright. He felt proud of himself, and the good he did excited him.

"That was a nice gesture of you." A beautiful girl stood behind Naruto.

"Thank you." He was blushing. Maybe this girl was even cuter than Sakura and Naho.

She smiled at him. "How unfortunate that it really doesn't matter." She walked past him, leaving the conversation at that.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Naruto ran after her.

"They are going to die anyway. You giving them food and money today won't change that fact."

The girl seemed less attractive all of a sudden. "What the hell? Don't say that!" he yelled.

"Why? It's the truth. They have no one in this world to acknowledge their existence. They are not needed. Their existence doesn't matter. They will die eventually, and no one will mourn their deaths. It will be like they never existed."

It took a moment for Naruto to process everything he'd just heard. "Their existence does matter! Everyone's existence matters."

"What's the reason of your existence? Why are you walking this world?"

Naruto was a bit irritated. He didn't know where this conversation was going to. "Maybe… I'm like those children right now, and I don't have anyone who acknowledges my existence. But I'm going to change that. I'll become Hokage and make everyone recognise me!"

"So you don't have a precious person in your life right now?"

"A precious person?"

"A precious person you want to protect at all cost. That's when you can truly become strong."

Naruto thought of his teammates. They were the first people to come to mind.

"Yes, I know what you mean." He smiled. "Hey, can we meet again? You seem like a really nice girl after all."

She smiled again. "I hope we don't meet again. But I think we will."

Naruto was confused again. Why did she not want to meet him? It seemed they got along well.

"Also," she added, "I'm a guy." Haku turned around and left.

Naruto stared after him for a long time. His brain refused to process the information he'd just received.

* * *

Back at Tazuna's house, Kakashi summoned Pakkun again. There clearly was something wrong. Reinforcement should have arrived already, or at least Pakkun should have reported back.

The ninja dog looked at Kakashi with the same bored expression as always, and Kakashi looked back at him in a similar manner before asking about the message he'd delivered to the Hokage.

"Ah, yeah. The Hokage said there was no one available right now. He'll sent Asuma's team as soon as they return from their mission."

"And why did you not return to tell me this?"

Pakkun looked out of the window. The ocean was in front of it. "Did you expect me to swim all the way after you?"

Kakashi sighed. It didn't matter anymore. Tomorrow the bridge would be finished. Tomorrow they could go home again.

* * *

Kakashi didn't read Icha Icha the next day, not even during their break. A weird feeling had been accompanying him ever since he woke up, like a dog sensing an earthquake before the ground starts shaking. So he carefully watched his Genin and Tazuna.

Sakura was giggling at something Sasuke said. He was glad to see her in high spirits after having been taken hostage. Not every shinobi could cope well with the immediate prospect of death.

An unusually thick mist formed around them again. But this was not like the mist in the swamps. It appeared to fast, out of nowhere. Kakashi immediately knew there was something wrong.

"Watch out!" was all he managed to shout at his students before a sword came flying at them. He threw himself at Tazuna to knock him to the ground.

Kakashi used a wind jutsu to lighten the fog. Another shinobi stood on the bridge, not too far from them, a big sword on his back. Kakashi recognised the face.

"Mh, if it isn't the rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist. Zabuza, right?" He put his hands back into his pocket, trying to sound as casual as usual. But this mission really had turned out the worst way possible. "I've seen your face in the bingo book quite a lot."

Naruto immediately grabbed some kunai and threw them at Zabuza. The rogue ninja didn't even dodge, just blocked them with his sword. Naruto dashed forward, ready to show everyone he wasn't scared at all, but Kakashi grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

"You are in the way. Stay back with the others."

"Why?" Naruto complained. "Let go, I can fight too!"

"You can't. He's on a totally different level from the guys the other day."

Kakashi again removed the headband from his left eye. This was an opponent he most likely would have to use the Sharingan against, even without being responsible for four Genin.

"And it seems like you are Kakashi of the Sharingan," Zabuza said. He seemed rather amused to meet Kakashi at such a place. "I never thought someone like you would be this guy's bodyguard."

"Get in the Manji battle formation," Kakashi called back to his team. "Protect Tazuna. Don't involve yourselves in the fight, do you hear me?" He wasn't sure if Naruto had understood his orders, or if he would choose to obey them, but there was no time to worry about that.

Kakashi stayed close to his team. Tazuna was the target after all. Zabuza would go for them first.

Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Naho stood in a circle around Tazuna. They all tried their best to spot the enemy, but he'd vanished.

They only noticed him again when he was already right next to them, ready to strike down one of them to get to Tazuna.

"He's coming straight for us," Sasuke realised, but too late. None of them had the speed to react.

Kakashi appeared between them and Zabuza even faster than him, and blocked the attack with a kunai. He kicked Zabuza backwards, away from his students.

"This is bad," Sasuke said. He could feel that his opponent was different from the others. Everything was different. "He'll kill all of us." His voice trembled.

Sasuke's fear spread like a wildfire among the four.

"You don't have to be scared. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Kakashi looked at all his students. His heart ached at the thought that these kids might get hurt because he was too weak. Because he made the wrong decision. They had to live. "I'm not going to let my comrades die."

Kakashi and Zabuza were exchanging blows at a speed Naruto and the others would never be able to match. All they could do was to pray and watch, and hope Kakashi would be the one to prove victorious. If not, they all knew they were doomed. Dead.

Fortunately, Kakashi seemed always just one step ahead of Zabuza, outspeeding him.

"Seems like your teacher is not as much of a sleepyhead as he looks like." Tazuna stood in the middle of the four Genin, wishing he had his sake with him.

"Shut up," Sakura snapped at him. "This is all your fault to begin with."

Naruto wondered, was it Tazuna's fault? Or was it his? He'd decided to continue this mission. He'd wished for some enemies to fight.

Zabuza charged at them again. And again, Kakashi appeared between them to counter his attack, kicking him away.

But this time it was only a clone. Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, swinging his sword at Naruto and Sasuke. There was no time for Kakashi to even grab a kunai. He rushed in front of them, and blocked the blade with his own arm.

Naho screamed. Kakashi turned around, summoning a Shadow Clone instantly.

Zabuza had summoned another clone, which grabbed Naho.

Kakashi's clone rushed to her, fighting the clone off. He knew he couldn't continue like this. Blocking for his students left him on the backfoot constantly, and he would run out of chakra soon if he summoned more clones.

But Zabuza's plan had already worked out. The short distraction Naho offered was enough for him to form the signs needed to produce a whole sphere of water around Kakashi, trapping him inside.

Zabuza laughed. "It looks like having weak students will be your downfall, Kakashi."

"Are you alright?" Sakura helped Naho up.

Naho's body was shaking. "I don't want to do this," she mumbled. Tears ran down her face. "I'm scared."

Sakura squeezed her hand and pulled her next to her again. "Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei will beat him up."

Naruto looked at the two girls. He himself was shaking, just like them. Then his eyes fell back on Kakashi, who was signalling them to run away. He couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. He was trapped in water.

Another Water Clone appeared from a puddle, while the real Zabuza was bound to the water prison to maintain it. "I will kill every one of those brats while you slowly drown. Watch and learn why only strong tools are worth keeping."

"If we run now, we might be able to get away. Clones can't travel too far away from their creator." Sakura grabbed Naho's hand again. Her body screamed at her to run. She expected the others to agree. Sasuke and Naho nodded, and even Tazuna. Everyone except for Naruto.

The words of that guy Naruto had met in the village popped back into his head. He didn't want his own words to just vanish like hot air. If there was ever a time to prove that he truly wanted to protect his friends with all that he had, it had to be now.

"Sasuke," Naruto called to him.

Sasuke was lost deep in thought, his eyes wide with fear. But he did look at Naruto.

"Let's protect Sakura and Naho," Naruto said. "We have to be strong to protect the people we care about, right? All we have to do is hit the clone and make it disappear."

Naruto's words clearly triggered something in Sasuke. He faintly smiled to himself before nodding at Naruto, and they both readied themselves to fight for each other with everything they had.

Kakashi again pointed at them to run away. But they'd been taught to never abandon their comrades. Even if there'd been a chance for them to escape, they couldn't leave their teacher behind.

Zabuza countered one attack after the other, until he finally managed to grab Sasuke's leg and threw him to the ground. He kicked his stomach, again and again.

Naruto summoned Shadow Clones to attack all at once, but Zabuza's clone killed them before they could even land one hit.

The real one laughed at them. "You brats are no shinobi. You are just little kids playing around. None of you knows what it's like to be a true warrior, a killer."

Sasuke coughed. Zabuza pressed his foot onto his chest. He couldn't breathe. The pressure was too much. His vision started to blur, but he could still hear Naruto's voice, calling for him, and insulting the enemy. He could hear Naho sobbing. It was such a familiar sound. Sasuke was sure this was the end. They were too weak to even beat a clone. But at least he tried.

He closed his eyes for just a moment, trying to recover some vision at least. And when he opened his eyes again, the world around him was crystal clear. He looked straight into the clone's eyes, who stared back at him in disbelief.

"The hell's that?" Zabuza's clone said, unintentionally lowering the pressure on Sasuke's chest. "The Sharingan? Another one?"

Naruto too realised that their enemy was distracted for just a moment, and used it to charge head-on at him again, pushing him away from Sasuke.

"Sasuke, your eyes…" Sakura stared at him too.

Sasuke stood up again. He could feel something had changed, but wasn't sure what it was exactly. The reactions of the others told him that he'd finally awakened his family's bloodline. He had the Sharingan. But he had no idea how to use it.

"Sasuke!" Naruto handed him a big shuriken.

He threw it, not at the clone like Zabuza expected, but at the real Zabuza, who was still holding Kakashi in the water prison. The shuriken split into two, revealing a second, hidden one right before hitting Zabuza.

Zabuza caught one with his free hand, while dodging the other. A victorious smile was on his lips.

Until suddenly, the second shuriken transformed back into Naruto, who was now behind Zabuza. He threw more shuriken at him, all he could grab.

And Zabuza had no choice but to let go of the water sphere in order to dodge.

The water around Kakashi flashed to the ground. Kakashi took a few short breaths, before charging at Zabuza, who was the one now distracted by the prank Naruto pulled. Lightning gathered around Kakashi's right hand, and the air was filled with the sounds of thousands of birds chirping. Kakashi was going to end this with this last Chidori.

Right before Kakashi reached Zabuza, his eyes spotted the water around him changing. It froze solid, and within seconds, huge ice spikes formed in his way. It was too late to dodge, so he had to use his Chidori on the spikes to not get impaled. They burst into thousand pieces of small ice crystals.

A new shinobi stood in front of Zabuza now. He was wearing a mask.

"Ice Release?" Kakashi couldn't help a frown. The Chidori had been supposed to end this fight, and used up almost all of his remaining chakra. He knew well enough that a shinobi able to use Ice Release was at least Jounin level.

"You are late, Haku." Zabuza straightened himself. For a moment, he'd looked straight into death's face. "May I introduce Haku to you? You must envy me. Do your brats even know basic elemental jutsu yet?"

"And still these brats managed to trick you and freed me from your water prison." Kakashi smiled at both Naruto and Sasuke, telling them what a good job they did. "And congratulations, Sasuke." He looked into the boy's red eyes, wishing the Sharingan would make a difference in this fight. But someone talented enough to master a combined elemental jutsu like the Ice Release wasn't going to have problems with a newly awoken Sharingan.

"Kill those kids, Haku. And the bridge-builder." Zabuza watched Haku throw some ice needles at them half-heartedly. Sasuke managed to easily deflect them with his own shuriken. "What are you doing? I said _kill them._"

Haku nodded.

Zabuza involved Kakashi in yet another fight.

And suddenly all Kakashi could do was to watch a huge dome of ice build around his Genin and Haku. But he couldn't get to them. He had to kill Zabuza first.

A thick fog formed around him again, thicker than before. He could barely see his own hand anymore. If he couldn't end this fight now, his Genin were sure to die.

He wondered if Kagura watched them. If she would truly be able to watch his other students get killed before stepping in to save Naruto.


	16. The Land of Waves: Part 3

Kagura and Kisuke were looking at the big ice dome that appeared on the battlefield. Its walls were like mirrors that completely blocked off the view from inside. Naruto and his teammates had vanished inside together with that unknown masked shinobi.

"This is bad." Kisuke slowly straightened himself to get a better view at the dome. "We need to find out what's going on inside."

Kagura was running a finger over her mask, where her lips would be. Her eyes were on the thick fog that surrounded Kakashi and Zabuza instead of the ice dome that trapped Naruto. "It seems like Kakashi really did mess up, huh? I hate it when Komachi is right. Hey, Kisuke, do you know that Zabuza guy as well?"

"You don't look into your bingo book much, do you?" He searched his pockets for his own bingo book, but soon gave up when he couldn't find it.

"Why would I? I have a brat to watch. I never thought I'd actually meet a rogue ninja." There was a smirk on Kagura's face, hidden to her partner underneath her Anbu mask. Naruto was out of her sight and out of her mind.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry and call Komachi over here." His words implied urgency, but his voice was completely calm. Kisuke was a Nara, and like a true Nara, he had a laid-back laziness. But at least his eyes stayed on the ice dome instead of Kakashi.

Kagura sight. "I'm sure Komachi will freak out if she sees this." Nonetheless Kagura cut her finger on a kunai and used the blood to summon a little weasel. She told him to find Komachi, and the weasel scampered away. "So who is that Zabuza guy exactly?" Kagura asked after she'd done what was asked of her.

"He was a catalyst for the civil war in Kirigakure 15 years ago. You know about their graduation customs, right?"

Kagura nodded. "The Bloody Mist."

"Zabuza didn't only kill his assigned classmate. He murdered everyone. The whole classroom, including their examiners. Many people had been against those customs for years. And this event was a clear indication for many to put an end to it, together with the Third Mizukage."

"Huh, guess that didn't work out."

Kisuke shook his head. "It looked like things would get better when the Third was dead and Yagura still a child. Kirigakure decided the title of Mizukage would be passed down to the Mizukage's children when the village was founded, rather than choosing a new one through elections. So Yagura was officially the next Kage, way too young to rule back then. But as he grew up, he simply continued his father's customs. Kirigakure stayed the Bloody Mist." Kisuke finally got up. They had observed the bridge from some trees further away.

"Where are you going? We're not supposed to butt into any fights, remember?"

"We are supposed to intervene when Naruto's life is in grave danger. I'm afraid that time might have come. What do you think that guy who knows ice release is going to do to them in there? Drink tea?"

It only took seconds until they both stood in front of the ice dome.

Kakashi and Zabuza either hadn't noticed them or were too busy to welcome them.

Kisuke put a hand on the wall of ice, while Kagura tried breaking it by hitting it with chakra-infused blades.

"It looks like we'll have to wait for Komachi's fire jutsu to break this," Kisuke said. "But at least they are all still alive."

* * *

Haku looked to the side. He could feel there was someone trying to break in, though he had trouble sensing their chakra.

"I might have to hurry this up. I'll say this one last time, step aside. The bridge-builder will die either way. Let me kill him and I will convince Zabuza to leave. You can live." Haku looked into Naruto's face. The blonde boy was angry, and there was no sign of understanding in his eyes.

He went into his ice mirrors, and almost immediately, the walls filled with mirror images of him. Sasuke tried to melt the ice walls with a fire jutsu, but the walls immediately froze up again.

Ice needles rained at team 7 from all directions. The four kids did their best to deflect most of them, but Sasuke was the only one who managed to at least partially keep up with their movements. The ones they missed they had to intercept with their bodies to block for Tazuna.

But somehow, Haku's needles never hit their vital spots.

"I won't hold back anymore if the four of you choose to die a pointless death, giving your life for a person that means nothing to do."

More needles rained onto them. Naruto used Shadow Clones so they could take the hits for them, but some needles found their way through. The pierced into their shoulders and legs. Naruto's whole body hurt. The Shadow Clones shielded them with their own bodies, yet he could feel their pain. He felt every single needle that pierced their skin.

Haku's eyes carefully observed his targets. And he soon found a weak spot. Tazuna was sitting in the middle of them, head ducked between his arms. The four Genin had formed a circle around him.

Haku threw an icicle next. It was much bigger than the thin needles, and this time, he threw it straight at Naho.

Naho saw it coming at her, and she did the only thing that came natural to her. She dodged.

The icicle hit Tazuna in the left side of his ribcage. He grunted. It stuck deep, but he was still alive.

Sakura turned around to check on him, so did Naruto.

"What are you doing?" Sakura yelled at Naruto, who was about to pull the icicle out. "He'll bleed out if you remove it!"

Tazuna was moaning in pain, and for a moment, Sakura feared he would pull it out himself.

"I'm sorry." Naho fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry."

Naruto was still staring at Tazuna. "Are you sure, Sakura? That thing's totally stuck in him! Come on, old man, you can't die here."

"Careful!" Sasuke screamed over at them. More ice needles were flying at Tazuna.

Naruto summoned more Shadow Clones. He knew they were no solution if they couldn't hit Haku in the mirrors. But they had to buy time at least.

Again, Naruto felt the pain from the needles that pierced his clones. It hurt, but he managed. One clone remained, and Naruto was eager to use him in some sort of counter offensive. He just had to think of a plan first.

But Haku moved first again. He even left his mirrors for the next attack. Naruto stepped closer to Tazuna. He couldn't stand the old guy, but he still wasn't going to let him die.

Sasuke took out another kunai. This was the perfect opportunity to land a hit on Haku. Yet Haku was just so much faster than him. Not even Sasuke could keep up. He knew he was supposed to be faster, especially with the Sharingan. If he knew how to use it properly.

It was easy for Haku do dodge Sasuke's attack. But he wasn't going for Tazuna like everyone expected. He went for Naruto's Shadow Clone. A blade made of ice formed in Haku's hand, and he rammed it in the clone's guts. The clone instantly vanished.

Within seconds, Haku was back in his mirrors, watching Naruto crumble in pain. He fell on his knees, his hands pressed onto his stomach. This was the opening Haku had been going for. One more hit, and the bridge builder would be dead for sure.

He threw another icicle.

Naruto grunted. This was a side effect of the Shadow Clone jutsu his teacher had told him about. But he'd never imagined the pain to feel this way. Right now, his body was convinced he was bleeding out, dying.

Yet Naruto still managed to get up again, ready to face the icicle aiming for Tazuna. At least this pain would be real.

But it never reached him.

Sasuke jumped in front of Naruto. The icicle penetrated his right shoulder. Sasuke tumbled backwards, falling into Naruto.

"Sasuke!" Sakura immediately jumped up to support Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you… protected me? Why?"

"I don't know, idiot. My body just moved on its own." His voice was hoarse, breathless. "You guys need to find a way out of here. Run, maybe I can…" He stood up again to face Haku once more.

Haku immediately sent more needles his way. They hit, and Sasuke instantly collapsed. Sakura caught him, but he didn't respond anymore.

"Sasuke, wake up, please." His eyes were closed. Tears gathered in Sakura's eyes.

"Sakura, is he…?" Naruto was scared of the answer.

"I don't know. He's not breathing anymore." She sobbed, while her hand was searching for a heartbeat.

"I'm sorry. I'm really so sorry." Naho was still crying too.

"Stop apologising!" Sakura yelled at her.

There was silence for a moment.

Naruto turned around to Haku again. There was a weird emptiness inside of him. Yet he could also feel something flowing, something flooding him. "You…!" Naruto screamed at Haku.

"It seems like you should have protected that person instead of the old guy. Is this the first time you are faced with a friend's death? This is the way of the shinobi life." Haku's voice was calm, and cold.

"Shut up!" Naruto's body was overflowing with red chakra. He dashed at an image of Haku in the mirror. He didn't care if it was the real one or not. He would shatter them all until he found the real one.

The ice started to crack when Naruto punched it. Red chakra covered his fist, and suddenly, there was so much energy leaking out of Naruto that the ice dome around him shattered.

The real Haku appeared again now that the mirrors were gone. Naruto lunged at him. The needles Haku threw at him simply got reflected, so dense was the chakra that coated Naruto.

Haku still managed to dodge Naruto's first strike.

"I didn't think you'd get this strong when protecting your precious people. But I see now. You are a Jinchuuriki. You hold powers I will never achieve, no matter how hard I work. … You are a better tool than me."

"I'm not a tool!"

This time, Haku didn't dodge, and Naruto landed a hit straight onto his mask. It shattered, revealing Haku's face.

Naruto's eyes widened. He instantly recognised him.

* * *

Komachi arrived in time to see the big ice dome burst from the Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto wasn't hard to spot either, a big cloud of red chakra surrounded him.

"Komachi!" Kagura called her over. "Is this…? We have to seal it again right away!"

Komachi had never seen Kagura this eager to fulfil her duty. But it was understandable. The Kyuubi's chakra was terrifying.

Kagura grabbed a kunai that had a string attached to it. The first part of their plan was to create a shadow for Kisuke's Shadow Binding jutsu. She was about to throw it, when Komachi grabbed her wrist.

"Wait." Komachi's eyes were on Naruto. "That's not the Kyuubi." She carefully approached Naruto. She could tell that at least Haku had spotted her, but they didn't seem to care. They continued talking.

"You told me to become strong and protect the people I care for. That's not what a tool does!"

Komachi could clearly hear the pain and anger in Naruto's voice. She looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. She saw Sakura and Naho, both sitting on the ground in defeat, both crying. Sasuke was lying in Sakura's arms. He didn't move.

"I'm Zabuza's tool. I will do what Zabuza asks of me, even if it costs me my life. And that's alright, because Zabuza is that person precious to me. I don't mind being his tool. Because at least, contrary to you, I am serving the person precious to me, not some Kage I have no connection to."

"How? How can that guy be precious to you? He is a killer! A precious person shouldn't use you like a tool."

Komachi carefully observed Naruto. There was the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out of his body everywhere. Yet it was still Naruto talking.

"Zabuza is precious to me… because he accepts me the way I am." Haku smiled. "I'm from a poor family. Every day my parents and I went to bed hungry. They were farmers, working all day long to feed me. I decided to help, to do all I could do." Haku stopped to look at Naruto. He was quietly listening to him, so he continued. "I was talented at chakra control and ninjutsu. So talented I taught water release to myself at a young age. My parents didn't like it. But they didn't complain because watering the fields using ninjutsu was so much more convenient and faster. I always worked on bettering my skills to be of more use to my parents. Until one especially cold year destroyed all our crops and harvest. I did what I thought was the only option left, and I became a shinobi. Because missions paid well, and I knew that way I could ensure my family wouldn't starve. Every time I completed a mission, I would send some money to them, and save the rest. Once I'd saved up enough money to be sure to pay for another year worth of food, I returned."

Naruto was still carefully listening. His anger slowly vanished.

"But my parents didn't want me anymore. They were scared of me. Scared of shinobi. Of what I'd become. They called me a killer. Said they'd rather starve than take the money I had made with the blood of others."

And suddenly, all of Naruto's anger was gone, and only sadness was left.

A sudden pain spread through his stomach and soon through his whole body. It was darkness. Someone was taking his own body away from him.

Haku carefully observed him. "Are you not going to fight me to revenge your friend?"

Naruto collapsed before he could even think about answering. The red chakra started to burn his skin. The thought of Sasuke seemed so far away all of a sudden. Naho and Sakura too. The world around him slowly went away.

Kagura jumped next to Naruto, drawing her sword. "If he won't kill you, I will." She thrust the sword at Haku, who immediately dodged to get some distance. But Kagura was fast too and closed in on him.

"Naruto…" Komachi kneeled down to him.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked. Another wave of pain hit him.

Komachi took a step backwards. Kisuke nodded at her, signaling her he was close-by and ready.

An evil grin formed on Naruto's face. "Whoever you are, I'll smash your head and break all your bones." He lunged at Komachi, but was immediately held back by his own shadow.

Komachi formed a triangle with her hands. "Don't seal it away yet. Give me five minutes first." She was set on bringing Naruto back her own way.

Komachi found herself in a dark space. This was Naruto's mind, she knew. She had to find his consciousness and bring him back. It had to be locked away somewhere while the Kyuubi took over his body. Komachi opened a door. It was the only door she could spot. She'd been in other people's minds before. But this mindscape looked so much different.

As soon as she stepped into the new room, a piercing pain spread in her head. Memories ran past her. Hundreds of years of memories. And Komachi realised these weren't Naruto's. She wasn't in Naruto's mind. It was the Kyuubi's. She saw pictures and scenes of Naruto's childhood, of Hashirama's whole life, and of so many more people she didn't know.

The pain in her head got stronger and stronger. The amount of information overwhelmed her. Red chakra tangled around her feet and slowly crawled up on her.

Komachi stopped the jutsu.

"What happened?" She heard Kisuke before she could even open her eyes again.

She pulled off her mask. Her head felt like it was going to explode. Warm blood was running down her nose and lips. She looked up, straight into the Kyuubi's eyes again. They were different from Naruto's. Full of bloodlust and hate.

Meanwhile Kagura had caught Haku. She dropped a paper seal on his left arm, which instantly caused Haku's muscles to stop working. His left arm dropped down, loosely dangling at his side. Kagura was waiting for him to grab the paper with his remaining arm. She had another ready.

But instead, Haku formed a one-handed sign, and ice spikes rained down at Kagura.

"With one hand?" Kagura had to dodge. Haku used the opportunity to take off the paper seal. She couldn't help but burst into laughter. "You sure are a genius. This is fun."

"I don't know why we're fighting." Haku only looked at her.

"Do we need a reason?" Kagura readied her sword again. But suddenly, Haku's eyes widened, and within a second, he was gone.

Kagura looked around, trying to find his presence again. But all she did find was Naruto, who was losing more and more control over himself.

"Naruto!" Komachi called him, but there was no response. He wasn't there anymore.

The Kyuubi managed to break free from the Shadow Binding jutsu, and slammed his fist at Komachi.

She rolled away. Her temples were still throbbing from the jutsu she'd used. Every heartbeat felt like nails were being hammered into her head.

Kagura appeared to her left, Kisuke to her right. They were both ready to defend their partner. Kisuke used his Shadow Binding jutsu again. It wasn't enough to restrain the Kyuubi completely, but at least it would buy Kagura some time.

"You have to hurry. The chakra is hurting Naruto." Komachi slowly got up to her feet again.

Kagura opened a scroll and pulled chains out of it, which she'd prepared exactly for a situation like this. They had sealing formulas written all over them. She dashed around Naruto, who was still covered in the Kyuubi's chakra, and wrapped one chain after the other around Naruto's legs and arms. The red chakra dispersed as soon as she activated the seals with a few hand signs. Naruto screamed, and slowly crumbled to the ground. Kagura used another of her paper seals, which she put on Naruto's belly, and all of the Kyuubi's chakra was gone again. Naruto collapsed. Kagura didn't even catch him.

"Phew, that was actually close." She turned around and looked at Sakura and Naho, who were still kneeling next to Sasuke and Tazuna, crying. "What are we supposed to do now? Just leave these kids here?"

Komachi looked around too. She put her mask back on before slowly walking over to Naruto. "Kisuke, see if you can help the boy and man. Kagura, go make sure Kakashi is alright." She freed the unconscious Naruto from Kagura's chain. Part of his skin was red, burnt from the Kyuubi's chakra. If they hadn't sealed it away again, it would have killed him.

* * *

Kakashi had always intended to end his fight fast. But the matter became more and more urgent, peaking when he suddenly felt a burst of the Kyuubi's chakra.

He was surrounded by thick fog, that made it impossible to see even his own hands.

Kakashi cut his thumb. This was his last plan. It had to work.

His ninja dogs appeared, and immediately had their noses set on their target. It didn't take long until he heard them attack.

The fog slowly dispersed, and Kakashi spotted Zabuza. His dogs had gotten their teeth onto him, pinning him down. They'd smelled Kakashi's blood that still stuck to Zabuza's sword.

Electricity formed around Kakashi's hand again, and the chirping of birds was back. This time would be the last.

Kakashi's hand finally found warm flesh. But it wasn't the right one.

His heart skipped a beat as it dawned on him that the unknown shinobi from before jumped into his way. He looked at his face.

Haku was smiling. But he was dead.

Kakashi tried to pull his hand back, but it was stuck. Stuck in Haku.

Zabuza laughed, and immediately shook the dogs off to go for a counter-attack.

Kakashi dodged with Haku still in his arms. He eventually managed to pull his hand out again and put him down onto the unfinished bridge. He immediately formed the signs for another jutsu, and a water dragon flew at Zabuza. But it missed.

Zabuza was standing in front of him. He was bleeding, but still had a victorious grin on his lips. "That was an awfully small water dragon. Seems like you are running out of chakra."

"And it seems you didn't care much for your comrade, even though he died protecting you." Kakashi was buying time, while glancing over to his team. Now that the fog was clearing, he could finally see them again. His heart skipped another beat as he spotted one of the Anbu, picking up Naruto. Another one was leaning over Sasuke and Tazuna who were lying a bit further away. None of the three was moving.

Zabuza now saw them too, and his grin vanished. "Backup? Guess I'll better end this now." He charged at him with his sword.

Zabuza had been right. Kakashi was running out of chakra. He didn't have enough left for another Chidori. But he wasn't completely drained yet. So he rammed his hand down at the ground, which was still wet from the water dragon he'd just summoned. His hand produced more electricity, not enough to create the sounds of chirping birds, but enough to reach Zabuza and send his muscles into shock. Kakashi rushed at him, a kunai in his hand. He was ready to cut Zabuza's throat, thinking once again that this was it, the end.

Yet all of a sudden, waves of water emerged from both sides of the bridge, flooding the whole bridge with water. The water soon vanished again, but it had washed Zabuza and Kakashi away from each other. Two strangers stood next to Zabuza.

Kagura appeared next to Kakashi as well. "Need any help?" she said in a sweet tone.

Kakashi sighed. This mission turned out worse and worse. He checked the two newcomers, wondering who they were. One of them was a woman, long brown hair, around his age. He knew he'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't quite pin it down yet. A boy stood next to her, maybe a few years older than his own Genin. He wore a weapon on his back that was wrapped in bandages, most likely another sword. It looked like they were Zabuza's backup, yet Zabuza himself didn't seem to recognize them. He slowly backed off, getting some distance between himself and the two strangers.

"How lucky for both of us that we reached you just in time. It seems like you'd be a dead man now had we stayed in those hot springs a minute longer," the woman said to Zabuza.

"Who are you? Did Gato send you?"

Komachi appeared next to Kagura and Kakashi as well, carrying Naruto in her arms. She gave the boy to Kakashi. "You two stay back. We will end this." She knew Kakashi had reached his limit.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto slowly opened his eyes. "What happened?"

The woman with the brown hair and blue dress laughed. "What did you get yourself into, Zabuza? Anbu from Konoha, and… Kakashi Hatake? No need for weapons, we are not here to fight." She looked at the sword in Kagura's hand.

"Who's that?" Naruto asked. His whole body hurt, but he still told his teacher to let him down. He didn't want to be carried like a little child. He spotted Haku's dead body lying not too far away, and everything that had happened slowly came back to him. The last thing he remembered was the two of them talking. "What happened?" he asked again.

"My name is Mei. Mei Terumi. This is my student, Chojuro." The woman ignored Naruto, and was talking to Zabuza instead.

"You are from Kiri? I assume you are here for my head." Zabuza readied his sword to continue fighting.

"Not quite. I intend to reassemble the Seven Swordsmen. And then…" She smiled. "I will kill Yagura, and anyone supporting his system. I will bring a revolution to Kirigakure."

Kakashi and the two Anbu women quietly listened. Information on other villages was always welcome, especially the secretive Kirigakure.

Zabuza laughed. "Kirigakure's ways won't change. The last civil war didn't matter, and another one won't either. But you're ambitious, I'll give you that." Zabuza looked at Tazuna then at Kakashi and the Anbu. Haku was dead, but at least it looked like Tazuna was close to death as well, if not dead yet. Shinobi who were most likely all stronger than him in this moment, less exhausted, surrounded Zabuza. He knew he had to leave, and continue his mission later if necessary. But Mei didn't look like she was going to just let him walk away.

"You are Kubikiribocho's wielder, one of the Seven Swordsmen," Mei continued. "And you had part in Kirigakure's civil war that caused the death of our Third Mizukage. I want you to join us, Zabuza. Help us bring peace to Kiri."

"I'd rather die here than go back to that bloody village. I don't care for your visions even one bit."

Naruto was still trying to piece together what was going on around him. There were two Anbu from his village he didn't know, two strangers, and the man that had attacked them, the man who caused all this. Further down the bridge, Sakura was still leaning over Sasuke. But Naruto couldn't bare to look at them. Once again, he blamed himself for all that happened.

"What happened to him?" He pointed at Haku.

"He died protecting Zabuza," Kakashi said.

Zabuza followed their gazes, but then turned away. "Guess this fight is over. I'm not here to chat, so I'm leaving."

"Wait!" Naruto yelled after him. "What about him? Are you just leaving him here?"

"Haku? What does it matter? He's dead."

"But… he deserved better than this. He deserved so much better than you." Naruto was still yelling. His body was sore and painful, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt inside of him. He hurt much deeper. He was angry. Angry at himself, at Zabuza, and at the world. "This is all your fault," he continued. "He is dead because of you. He cared so much for you, and you don't even care. How can you not care? Wasn't he your comrade?"

"Haku was a tool. Just like I am a tool. We are all tools. Every single one of us here. You'll understand it eventually, kid. Having dreams and visions…" He glanced at Mei. "They don't mean anything in this world."

"How can you be like that? I'm sure he had dreams too. Everyone has dreams. But he threw his life away for you and you don't even acknowledge his sacrifice. What are you going to do with the life he gave you, huh?"

Everyone around them was quietly listening to the boy speak.

"This is just too painful." Tears started to run down Naruto's face. "Is this really how shinobis are supposed to live their lives?"

Zabuza looked at Haku again. He was lying in a pool of his own blood, yet the smile on his lips was still visible. "Everyone has a dream, huh?"

"Naruto, we are done here." Kakashi's eyes were on his other three students again. The fight with Zabuza was over. And what was left was to face the mess he had created.

Naruto shook his head. He couldn't go back to Sakura and Naho. Seeing Sasuke lifelessly lying on the ground just like Haku would make it all too real.

Komachi nodded at Kakashi, signaling him to go.

Kakashi left them. His feet were heavy, and a familiar feeling spread inside of him. He knew it well enough. Loss. Failure.

The third Anbu was leaning over Tazuna, a hand pressed to his chest. Kakashi didn't recognize him, but he appreciated his presence. He was using a healing jutsu on Tazuna.

Sakura looked up when her teacher stepped next to her. Her eyes were red, but she wasn't crying anymore. Kakashi looked past her, at Sasuke. She had his head placed on her lap and was slowly brushing his hair.

Kakashi took a deep breath and sighed in relief. There was an icicle stuck in his shoulder, but his eyes were open. He was alive.

"I'm telling you again, Sakura," Sasuke gasped. "Stop fondling with my hair." He wanted to get up, but the pain stopped him. That and Sakura's hands pulling him back down.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura had never been this happy to see her teacher. "That man said we mustn't pull the icicle out yet. Can you do it?"

"I wanted to tend to this man's injuries first, as they are more severe," Kisuke explained to Kakashi. "Pull it out if you want, you'll simply have to stop the bleeding. It's just a flesh wound. But this one…" He looked back at Tazuna. "I'm not sure my healing jutsu is enough. I only know the basics. It seems the icicle damaged his heart."

Kakashi kneeled down next to Sasuke. There was nothing he could do for Tazuna. Part of him was sad that he failed the bridge builder. But most of him felt relieved.

"Naho, bring me your backpack. I need bandages and ointment," Kakashi said, but Naho just kept staring at the ground in front of her. Her whole body was shaking, cheeks wet with tears. "Naho, bring me your backpack," he repeated, louder this time.

The girl winced, but slowly got up to go and get one of the backpacks lying nearby. Kakashi didn't take his eyes off her. It seemed the fight was over. But he couldn't trust all these strangers nearby. Naho soon came walking back, and quietly handed him bandages and ointment.

"Pull it out, Sakura."

"Me? But…" She didn't want to hurt Sasuke. But Kakashi nodded at her, so she went along and pulled the icicle out. Sasuke flinched, but that was it.

Kakashi cut Sasuke's shirt open and pressed some fresh cloth soaked with ointment on the wound. "Naho, take over for me. Press it on the wound until it stops bleeding."

Naho didn't move. They were in no danger anymore, at least no immediate one. Still there was terror in her eyes.

"I can do it." Sakura reached for the cloth.

"I can do it myself," Sasuke complained, trying to sit up again.

But Kakashi didn't let them. "Naho will do it." He urged the girl to sit down next to him and press her hands on Sasuke's wound. "Apply more pressure. That's good." He wanted the three of them to stay as close together as possible.

"Where are you going?" Naho instantly asked when he stood up.

"Don't worry." He patted her head. "I'll go and get Naruto. It seems we should better bring our client to the next hospital." He looked at Tazuna again, wondering if this village even had a hospital, or if he would make it there.

Naruto wiped tears away from his face when he saw Kakashi coming back to them.

"Come on, Naruto. We're leaving. Tazuna… is in a bad condition."

"Sasuke, is he…?"

"He's fine."

"What? Really? But… but Sakura said he wasn't breathing. I thought he…"

Kakashi glanced at Zabuza, who was now carrying Haku's body in his arms. "They said he woke up again as soon as they removed those ice needles."

"Huh, damn you, Haku, disregarding my orders," Zabuza said while looking down at Haku's smiling face. "Maybe he was softer than I thought." He glanced at Naruto, then at Kakashi. "He's Konoha's Jinchuuriki, isn't he? I could feel his chakra earlier. Never would have guessed just looking at him. He's so different from that brat Yagura. … and awfully weak for a Jinchuuriki."

Mei's eyes widened. "Really, that little kid is Konoha's Jinchuuriki?"

Komachi instantly stepped in front of Naruto.

"Get out of the way," Naruto complained. "Who'd you call weak here?" Komachi held him back, which earned her more complaints. "Let go off me, who even are you?"

"Oh, don't feel threatened. We have no interest in Konoha's Bijuu." Mei was playing with a strand of her hair. "On the contrary. Once I'm the Mizukage, I will make sure to foster our relationship."

"Once you are the Mizukage?" Naruto's eyes widened.

"Yes, someone will have to become the next Mizukage once Yagura's dead. And I believe I'm quite fitting for the job." She laughed, throwing her hair backwards. "So, what is it, Zabuza? Help me and I'll erase that bounty that's on your head. You can come back to Kirigakure as my bodyguard, help me rebuild it."

Kakashi took Naruto, and easily threw him over his own shoulder. He carried him away. Naruto complained, but couldn't manage to get Kakashi to put him down again.

"You have to accept her offer. Use that life Haku gave you to do something meaningful. We can be more than just tools," he yelled around. "And Mei. That was your name, right? I'm Naruto Namikaze. One day, you and I will meet again. And you will be the Mizukage and I will be the Hokage. Just believe it!"

Kakashi quietly shook his head, while carrying Naruto away. Kagura and Komachi both vanished again as well. They'd already stayed in the open for too long anyway.

Naruto's words evoked a warm laughter in Mei. "Namikaze? What a scary name for such a cute boy." She turned to Zabuza. "So, are we going too? I'm afraid if you decline, we will have to forcefully take that sword away from you."

Zabuza slowly approached them, Haku still in his arms. Chojuro reached for his sword, but didn't draw it just yet.

"I'm already nothing more than a tool, I might as well be your tool. … At least you'd make a somewhat good-looking Mizukage," he said, walking past them. He had to find a good spot to bury Haku first.

"Did he just call me beautiful? Or was that irony? Does he think I'm ugly?" She pulled out her lipstick to reapply it. "Hey, Chojuro. You think he'd make good marriage material?"

Chojuro blushed at her question, which made Mei smile gain.

"Let's go," she told him, and they both followed after Zabuza, into the opposite direction of Kakashi and Naruto.

* * *

It was a quiet journey back to Konoha. No one spoke a word. Not until they set up a camp in the evening. And even then, it was only a few words to assign who would make a fire and who would set up the tents.

Sasuke was playing with dried leaves, making them either wrinkle or light up in flames before throwing them into their campfire. They all sat around it together. Everyone's thoughts were somewhere else.

"He could still be alive," Sakura eventually broke the silence. "If only one of us could use good medical jutsu. That drunken idiot didn't have to die."

Sasuke continued throwing his leaves into the fire. He showed no reaction.

Naho on the other hand dropped her gaze even more. Naruto had reassured her it wasn't her fault, and so had Sakura and Kakashi. But that didn't change the fact that Tazuna was dead.

"Not every mission is a success. And this one turned out way harder than anyone could have expected," Kakashi explained to them again. He didn't want his students to search the blame in themselves. If anything, this was on him.

Naruto was sick of this subject. He felt like he was partially to blame as well for the situation, he felt jealous because Sasuke could light and wrinkle leaves, and he felt sad because Naho looked like she was about to burst into tears again. He was sick of C-rank missions turning out horribly. So he changed the subject. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, do you think Mei really wants to kill the –"

"Never talk about this again," Kakashi immediately interrupted him. "If what that woman said was true, then this is top secret information."

Naruto sulked. "And what about those Konoha Anbu? Were they our backup? One of them seemed kind of familiar to me."

Kakashi didn't say anything. It wasn't his place to tell Naruto of the invisible guardians he'd had all his life. Neither did they give him much choice though. They couldn't just appear in front of Naruto and not expect the boy to ask questions. "Yes, they were backup," he tried.

"Then why didn't they go back to Konoha with us? Man, I never expected the grandpa Hokage to send Anbu members. Was that Zabuza guy this dangerous?"

Kakashi sighed. He didn't have the energy left to have this conversation. He got up and went to his tent. "Sorry, there are some things I need to think through. You guys should get some rest too." He summoned one of his ninja dogs to keep guard before vanishing in the small tent. Kakashi ran through everything that happened the last few days again. He reevaluated every decision he'd made, counted every jutsu he'd used in his fight against Zabuza, thought about their effectiveness, about alternatives he'd had. His body was resting, but his mind was working flat out.

Again and again, Kakashi's thoughts drifted off, and he imagined what could have happened. All those scenarios that were even worse. He pictured his students dead. His head showed him all sorts of ways it could have happened. He knew it wasn't productive to wallow in what-ifs, but he couldn't stop. The sheer thought of losing even one of them terrified him, more than he thought it would.

He eventually rolled to his side. There was only one thing to do. Two things. He would have to become better, and so would his students. He would have to make them better. The best.

* * *

When team 7 arrived back at the gates of Konoha, Kakashi called his students to him again before they could all run off in different directions. He scratched his head, not really knowing how to start. "Well, first of all, I want to tell you all again that you did a good job on this mission, despite its outcome." Naho still only stared at the ground, and the other three didn't exactly look happy either. So he decided to move on. "I'm going to give you guys three days off so you can recover before we continue our training. We'll focus on your ninjutsu more. Naruto, you will write the mission report this time."

Naruto instantly rejected the idea. "What? Why me? Come one, Kakashi-sensei, you know I'm not good at writing these stupid reports."

"Which us exactly why you should appreciate the opportunity to practice it. If you hate pen and paper this much, you should seriously reconsider your dream of becoming Hokage. Because let me tell you, it involves _a lot _of paperwork."

Naruto scowled, but didn't complain anymore.

"Also, I want a written essay from every one of you handed in."

Naruto almost stumbled over his own feet at the news. "More writing? Are you serious?!"

Kakashi ignored him and went on. "In the essay, you will analyze your own strengths and weaknesses. I want to see how well you can judge your own abilities so far. Make a list with up to three jutsu or skills you think would fit your fighting style and that you believe you are capable of acquiring now or in the future. If I agree with your list, I will try and implement those into your training."

Naruto was still not convinced. Choosing their own jutsu sounded exciting, but he couldn't quite see the point in having to write it all down. Sasuke on the other hand had a faint smile on his face.

"So I can choose any jutsu I want to learn?" Naruto asked again.

"It's not that simple. I want all of you to really think about yourself and in which direction you want your training to go. You are good with the basics already. You guys are halfway through your first year as Genin, you should start figuring out what you want to do with your life afterwards." He looked into the blank faces of Naruto and Sakura. Those two obviously had never given this any thought.

"Well, anyway. I'll see you guys in three days, and I want those essays by the end of the week." He hesitated. This was the moment he'd usually vanish into thin air and tend to his own business again, but he wasn't sure if he could really leave them alone just yet. It felt wrong after everything that happened.

He left. After all, he was their teacher, not their family.

* * *

Sakura slowly walked down the streets of Konoha, her backpack still on her back. She wondered if Ino had been on any missions too, and if she'd ever been in a similar situation. Her feet got heavier the more she thought about it. She'd been taken hostage, nearly died, saw people die, saw Sasuke die, and saw Sasuke come back to life after all. It all seemed surreal to her. She couldn't quite wrap her head around any of it yet.

Sakura suddenly found herself in front of her parent's house. Her feet had somehow taken her there while she was lost in thought. Time passed as she just stood there and stared at their front door. Eventually, she knocked.

Her mother opened the door. Her eyes instantly widened, and she pulled Sakura closer to wrap her arms around her. "I'm so glad you're back," she said. "I asked Ino's mother about you today and she said you were still away on a mission. How was it? Did you get hurt?" Her hands were still wrapped around her head, softly stroking her hair. "… Sakura?"

A tear ran down Sakura's face, and another, and another. And soon she couldn't hold them back anymore. She buried her face in her mother's chest, crying.

Her mother didn't say anything, just quietly held her in her arms.


	17. Finding the Way

Naho dreamt of blades and blood. She dreamt that someone was coming after her, was coming to kill her. She tried running, but barely moved. Her legs were heavy, and the faster she ran, the slower she moved. Around her lay corpses, dead people she didn't know, their throats sliced open, their chests pierced with ice needles. She was back in the Land of Waves.

She was breathing heavily when she finally opened her eyes. A feeling of deep relief spread in her when she realised it had all just been another dream. The children next to her were still sleeping soundly. These dreams had been haunting her for the past week. It was tiring. And the thought of yet another day full of training tired her even more.

* * *

Kakashi rose an eyebrow at the assignment Naruto handed in. The boy was standing in front of him, a big grin on his face. Kakashi wondered if he truly thought that this was how an essay was supposed to look like. There were some notes here and there scribbled on the paper, and Kakashi could spot at least two spelling mistakes just by skimming over it.

"Naruto, you really need to work on your writing. Do you think people will respect you as a Hokage if you don't even know how to spell chakra?"

Naruto's smile didn't falter. "Yeah, yeah. I'll have plenty of time to worry about that once I know all those awesome jutsu. So, Kakashi-sensei, what do you say? Which one are you going to teach me first?"

Kakashi looked at the list again. It was a lot longer than he'd suspected. "Fireball Jutsu," he read first. "Didn't that nice little paper show your affinity was wind? Why a fire jutsu?"

"Naho and Sasuke both know how to use it! It looks cool!"

Kakashi kept reading. "Wood style. That's not even a technique, Naruto."

"But the First Hokage used wood style, right? And he was the strongest, so I want to be like him. He's my idol!"

Kakashi couldn't hold back a sigh. "You have to master water and earth style before even thinking about learning anything wood style related. And, again, if anything you should start with wind jutsu."

Naruto only pouted. "Why do you even ask which jutsu I want to learn if you are only going to lecture me? You and the old Grandpa Hokage really are no help at all!" Naruto had gone straight to the Hokage office when they were back from the Land of Waves. He wanted both the chakra paper and more information on the Kyuubi and the First Hokage, the person who was said to have tamed it. The former he received, the latter he did not. Apparently, the Third Hokage had no idea how Hashirama was able to control the Kyuubi. Naruto was sure he was holding something back.

"I was telling you to choose something that made sense." Kakashi gave the report back to Naruto and buried his hands in his pockets again. "And what did the Third do to earn your mischief?"

His pouting intensified. "I asked him for tips on how to control this thing sealed inside of me. Ya know, because I'm really trying here. But he simply said he didn't know. Does that old guy know anything at all? I'm sure he doesn't want me to use the Kyuubi's power because he's afraid I'll become stronger than him."

Kakashi smiled. "I'm sure that's how it is. But, you know, Naruto. The Third was even younger than I am now when he became Hokage. And by that time, Hashirama was already dead. And so were Tobirama and Madara. A lot of knowledge died with them."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Kakashi. "You're talking like you're still so young, but you seem pretty old to me, sensei. Just how old was the Third when he became Hokage?"

"Alright, it seems we are done here. Sakura, it's your turn," he called over to Sakura, who was sitting by the river to practice water jutsu. "I was ready to share my knowledge with you, Naruto. But I suddenly don't feel like it anymore."

"What? Come on, sensei, you know I didn't mean it like that. At least you are nowhere near as old as Grandpa Hokage!"

"Go and practice your wind style and chakra control, Naruto," Kakashi said again when Sakura arrived.

Naruto reluctantly turned around and returned to Naho. She wasn't training herself but was waiting for Naruto to come back to give him tips on his ninjutsu. Sasuke was further away on a mission to wrinkle leaf after leaf until whole trees looked dead.

Kakashi read through Sakura's assignment. It looked nothing like Naruto's but was well-written and neatly formatted. The way she phrased sentences seemed straight out of a scientific paper. "You want to become a medic?" he asked after having read through all of it.

Sakura nodded. "I've thought long and hard what I could have done better to save Tazuna. And Sasuke too. There should be someone on a team able to use medical jutsu. It just seems so indispensable."

"Medical jutsu can saves lives, you are right. But medical jutsu are also some of the hardest to acquire and master. It takes a long time, and most shinobi find out they aren't capable of learning them after all, which is why most don't even bother. If you really want to focus on medical jutsu, you will have to dedicate your life to it, all of your studies. Are you sure this is the road you want to take?"

Sakura nodded again. Unlike Naruto, she hadn't written down whatever appeared cool enough to her on a whim. She'd sat down, thought about it, had done her research in the library. This was what she wanted.

"You sure are talented in chakra control, and you have an affinity for water. I can see you being the medical type. I can't teach you any medical jutsu because I don't know any myself, but that shouldn't be a problem. We'll focus on your chakra control and water jutsu. That should prepare you for a career as a medic once your first Genin year is over." He looked over her essay again, nodding. This was more what he'd expected of this assignment.

"Kakashi-sensei? If our first year is over… will we still be a team? I mean, if I go and become a medic, will I still see the others and go on missions with them?"

Kakashi wasn't quite sure if she asked because of Sasuke or because she'd grown genuinely attached to her teammates in general. Maybe a bit of both. "I'm afraid you'll see them a lot less. But the four of you still trained together as Genin, the Hokage always keeps that in mind when assigning teams to missions. You'll likely do some missions together every now and then." He smiled at her.

"And what about you, sensei? Will we still go on missions with you too?"

"Me? Well… I'll mostly be doing higher ranked missions again. You'll have to train hard if you want to join me on those." He hadn't expected her to think about him too, but he appreciated it.

Next was Sasuke. His essay was similar to Sakura's. Well written, little to no mistakes. But his self-assessment wasn't as honest as Sakura's had been. He acknowledged there was still a lot for him to learn and practice, yet he also pointed out it was his team that held him back, not his own talent.

"Mastering the Sharingan, learning basic lightning jutsu, learning more proficient fire jutsu," Kakashi read over Sasuke's list. "This sounds reasonable, I guess. What do you suggest we do about your team holding you back? You want a new one?"

"They are still my team. I just want you to give me the practice and opportunities I deserve. I need to grow fast, get strong as soon as possible."

Kakashi was slightly surprised by his answer. But Sasuke wasn't finished yet.

"I heard the Chuunin exams are being held soon. Let me participate."

Now Kakashi understood where this was going. "You haven't even finished your first Genin year."

"I've looked up the requirements to become a Chuunin. I meet them all. I deserve to participate."

"Deserve, huh?" Sasuke surely was the most talented out of the four, and he surely met the requirements to become a Chuunin. At least the physical ones. His mind and attitude were childish still. Sasuke becoming a Chuunin would only make him more arrogant. "People in this world barely ever get what they deserve. You should learn to appreciate what you have first before you expect more."

"Appreciate what I have? I had everything taken from me, so what exactly am I supposed to appreciate? That my whole clan got murdered?"

"You are stuck in the past. But right now, you have a team to worry about. Your team. You did well on our last mission. I want to see more of that before I'll allow you guys to take the exams."

"But I meet the requirements!" Sasuke blurted out. His teammates all looked over to them, realizing they had some sort of argument. "Do I have to wait until they are ready too? That's not fair!"

"I don't care about any requirements you might have read about. I'm your teacher, and as long as you are still my Genin, I'm deciding on the requirements for you here. And in my book, none of you meets the requirements. Not even you, Sasuke."

Sasuke stormed off without saying another word. But Kakashi let him go. Sasuke's behaviour only proved him right.

Naho was the last, and slowly walked up to him. She didn't manage to actually look him in the eyes. "I… My essay's not finished yet."

"Even Naruto had something to show to me." It surprised him that Naho hadn't finished her assignment in time. And it worried him. She behaved differently since they were back.

"I'm sorry… I'll have it tomorrow."

She still didn't look at him, so he grabbed her arm before she could run off as well. "Naho," he said, but he didn't actually know what he was supposed to tell her. Should he apologise to her? Because he definitely felt sorry. But he couldn't. Not for showing her the reality of life. "Death is part of a shinobi's life," he said instead.

This obviously wasn't what the girl wanted to hear. She ran off as soon as he let go of her. He watched her go back to her team. Naruto instantly bombarded her with more questions on ninjutsu.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. Three out of his four students worried him, and two seemed to have a habit of storming off. Yet he couldn't deny that he'd grown attached to them. He wanted the best for them. All of them.

* * *

Naho didn't go straight home after her training. She barely thought of the orphanage as home anyway. Instead she wandered around the village. It wasn't dark yet, and many people were still on the streets. She spotted Naruto too, who was on his way to Ichiraku's to meet with Iruka and a bowl of ramen. He would be glad if Naho joined him, he always was. But Naho wasn't in the mood to talk and be all bubbly, so she walked into the opposite direction before he could spot her.

Seeking silence, she eventually ended up back at the training grounds. They were like little woods and even had a river running through them. Outside of the usual training's hours for teams, they were one of the most peaceful places.

Naho soon realised she wasn't alone though. Sasuke was still practicing. Part of her wanted to go over to him, but she was too scared. They hadn't talked since their mission in the Land of Waves. Not that they ever talked much anyway. But Naho felt like it was all her fault. Tazuna's death was her fault. Sasuke getting hurt was her fault.

So she left.

Out of nowhere, a kunai came flying straight at her from behind. Naho heard it, felt it almost, and her muscles instinctively dodged.

Sasuke appeared in front of her, blocking her way. He held another kunai in his hand, spinning it around a finger with ease.

"That could've hit me," she said, but her voice barely sounded angry. Irritated and confused maybe.

"We've been teammates for many months now. I knew you'd dodge." Sasuke's expression was as blank as it always was. He slowly rose the kunai. "Fight me."

Naho didn't move at all. "Why should I?"

"You have good reflexes. Good movement. Yet they go to waste because you are so diffident you don't even talk back when insulted." His look grew more serious. "You better fight back now or I _will _hurt you."

Sasuke charged at her. Even though he announced his attack, Naho was still so surprised that she stumbled backwards and fell butt-first to the ground. She had to roll aside to get away from the next attack. He barely gave her time to consider what was going on.

"Stop it!" she gasped at him while pushing herself up again.

But Sasuke didn't stop. He was throwing his kunai at her. Naho dodged it too by jumping up a tree. But he was already there, completely reading and predicting all her movements. He tried to kick her, only missing by an inch.

They'd often sparred. Yet Naho could feel this was different. He was angry at her. He was going to hurt her.

Sasuke's attacks continued, one after the other. Though Naho managed to dodge them all. So he eventually stepped it up. He threw shuriken at her, forcing her to dodge into a certain direction. He knew exactly where she would go, so he spit a fireball her way.

Naho could feel the heat whooshing past her. But the fireball was just another means of pushing her into a certain direction. Sasuke was already waiting for her. And this time, his punch connected with her face.

He hit her so hard that Naho instantly fell to the ground.

"You are constantly on the backfoot, because all you ever do is to reactively dodge my attacks." He walked up to her, looked down at her.

"There is no reason for me to fight you." She wanted to get up, but Sasuke put a foot onto her shoulder, pressing her back down.

"I can't stand you. You are never going to be a good shinobi with that mindset. You choose to be a liability when you wouldn't have to be one. That's what I hate the most." He removed his foot and grabbed her shirt instead to pull her up. "You vhoose choose to be a liability." He looked into her eyes, eyes that were of the same dark colour as his own. He abruptly turned away, realizing he'd stared at her too long. He let go and left. "You might as well give up on being a shinobi now. I'm sick of seeing your face every day anyway."

Naho was left alone. She didn't feel like taking a walk anymore. Instead she wished she could just leave, vanish, go back to her farm. To her home. How her teammates could just go on with their lives like nothing had happened was a complete mystery to her. She didn't want a life filled with fighting and death. She wanted peace.

* * *

Kakashi was meeting with Gai in the evening. They climbed a nearby mountain and raced each other back to Konoha. Gai won the challenge, which had him fall into euphoria while cheering for himself.

"You put up a good fight, Kakashi." He clapped Kakashi's shoulder. "I'm glad, you seem much more invested in our challenges again. Which is exactly how it's supposed to be! I could feel the power of youth in both of us."

Kakashi stared back at him with a blank face. He'd never quite understood where Gai found all that enthusiasm.

"I'm meeting with some of the other Jounin for dinner. You should join too."

He was about to decline, but Gai gave him no time and simply pulled him along.

"How is your team doing? I heard there were some problems on your last mission," Gai said while walking next to him down Konoha's main street.

"They are fine, I guess. Maybe…" Kakashi stopped to reconsider what he was going to say. "I don't believe teaching is the right job for me, that's all."

Gai carefully listened, waiting a moment if there was more his friend wanted to say, before replying, "Well, any effort you put into their training is useless of you don't believe in yourself, and in them. They are good students, otherwise they wouldn't have made it so far. And you are a good teacher, I truly believe that. Because you are my eternal rival, you need to be able to keep up with me – in all aspects of life." Gai smiled at him.

Kakashi smiled too under his mask. "If I'm still sane by the time I finish their training, it'll be a miracle."

Gai's smile turned into a toothy grin. "Hey, I have an idea. I've actually been waiting for this moment ever since I became a teacher, but…" He grabbed Kakashi's hands, taking them into his own like a man in a cheesy romance movie about to confess his love. "Let's do a mission together. You and me. And your team and my team. This is going to be GREAT."

Kakashi noticed people around them staring at them, at Gai in particular – an adult man dancing on the spot wearing a tight green jumpsuit while holding another man's hands. But he didn't care. And neither did Gai. Instead, Kakashi nodded. Maybe a mission with another team was exactly what his team needed.

Kakashi again stopped when they reached the barbecue restaurant. And again, he wanted to excuse himself and leave after all. But he'd barely opened his mouth when Gai already pushed him through the door. He looked into the surprised faces of Asuma, Kurenai and Genma.

"Kakashi, it's nice to see you," Kurenai soon said. She sat between Asuma and Genma.

Kakashi only nodded and sat down next to Gai.

"Man, we really need to find more women for our group. Don't you have some nice female friends?" Genma leaned more towards Kurenai, which earned him dark glances from Asuma.

Kurenai ignored him and studied the menu instead. "Today Kiba asked me if they could participate in the Chuunin exams. I had no idea what to say. Isn't this too early?"

"I asked my guys if they wanted to participate and they all agreed. Mine are definitely ready. They have some nice teamwork." Asume nodded to himself.

"Kiba really wants to take part in it. I feel Shino is ready too. But I don't think Hinata wants to. She only agreed because of the others."

"You can't pamper her just because she's a shy cute girl. She has to make her own decisions. If she says yes, then let her participate and have her see where it gets her."

"I'm not taking any advice from you, Genma. Your Genin team disbanded long ago. What do you think, Gai? Your team didn't participate the last time, right?"

"It's not like I didn't want them to. They decided for themselves that they'd rather practice some more first."

Part of Kakashi envied Gai for his students. They sounded more like adults than children. He could only think back to the conversations he had with Sasuke and Naruto that day. Words like those passing their lips was unimaginable.

They ordered drinks and food to share. Kakashi quietly listened to the others talk, only really joining the conversation when directly asked a question. They talked about their Genin and the stupid things they did on missions, about the village's economy, and, thanks to Genma, about the women sitting at the table next to them. Kakashi couldn't even remember the last time he'd had dinner with his old classmates. But he enjoyed himself more than he thought he would.

* * *

The next day, Kakashi found Naho standing in front of the his flat, waiting for him. He wondered how long she'd been there. He still had the habit of pulling out _Icha Icha _to go on a walk to the cemetery first before even thinking about going to his students. There was no way she could know when he'd leave his home.

"Kakashi-sensei, I…" She was trying her best to look at him. He didn't say anything but waited for her to continue. "I've decided to quit. I don't want to become a shinobi after all."

He rose his brows a bit while looking down at her. "Well, that's too bad. Because you became a shinobi when you graduated the Ninja Academy. I don't think you can undo the fact that you passed those Genin exams."

She stared back at him with worried eyes. There was a big blue bruise on her left cheek.

"What happened to your face? You don't seem like the one to get involved in fights."

She quickly covered her cheek with her hand. "It's nothing. But please, sensei. I don't think I have what it takes to become a shinobi. I'm only… a liability."

"You can't take our mission in the Land of Waves as an indicator on how well you are doing as a shinobi, I told you that, right? It was my fault for putting you guys in a situation that was way more than you should be able to handle as Genin." There was a time Kakashi had wished for his Genin to just give up on the shinobi life. It was a harsh one. He knew better than anyone else the hardship and pain it involved. He didn't wish such a life for anyone else. Especially not for those four little kids. But he couldn't accept that this was the reason for Naho to quit. He couldn't accept having failed them.

"But I will have to do those sorts of missions eventually, right? I'll have to… fight other shinobi. Kill people in order to survive. That's what shinobi do, right? I knew that. I thought I could do it. But really, I think I can't."

Kakashi wondered if Naho had turned out differently had she grown up in a clan instead of a civilian family. And a civilian family outside of Konoha of all things. She was so much softer than the other three. Softer than Sakura even. But talented. "Actually," he eventually continued. "If you stayed a Genin, it's very unlikely you'd have to do those sorts of missions again. And no one can force you to take the Chuunin exams. There are a lot of shinobi that choose to stay Genin and do easy missions. They aren't paying well. But they are enough to survive." He could see that he caught her attention. So he kept going. "But I won't keep you from quitting. If you are sure about his, then go on and give up on all you've achieved so far. It's really unfortunate though. I have a very special mission for you guys, together with Gai's team. But I don't think we can do it if we are one member short."

"What kind of mission?" There was worry in her voice.

"We were supposed to leave for Sunagakure tomorrow. But if you are sure about quitting, you should tell the others right away. We need to find someone else for the mission then."

He decided to skip visiting Rin and Obito for now to accompany Naho instead. She silently followed after him to the training grounds. Kakashi wondered just how serious she was about quitting, and if the bruise on her face had anything to do with it.

The others were already busy training. Kakashi called all of them over. He wasn't as late as usually, but still late.

"Sorry, guys. Today I got a bit lost on the path of life again. But fortunately, Naho showed me the way."

Naho wasn't greeting her teammates, but quietly stared at the ground.

Naruto was the first to look at her in confusion. "Huh, did something happen, Naho-chan?"

Sakura spotted the _Icha Icha _book in Kakashi's hand and instantly pulled Naho towards her. "Kakashi-sensei didn't touch you in any inappropriate way, did he?" she said, loud enough for Kakashi to hear.

"Now, now… don't make such jokes. People will start talking. Actually, Naho and I were just talking about something on our way. Naho, do you want to tell them?"

He looked straight at Naho, and for the first time in days, the girl returned his look.

She straightened herself and stepped away from Sakura to face all of them. Except for Sasuke. "Kakashi-sensei just told me that we are going on another mission. With Gai-sensei's team. Isn't that right?" She looked back at her teacher for approval.

Kakashi nodded. "We are leaving tomorrow."

There was less enthusiasm on Naruto's face than he'd anticipated. Their last mission left its marks even on him.

Instead of getting all excited, he stared at Sasuke like his teammate had just eaten the last cup of ramen. "Alright, then let's get back to training, everyone! We got a lot to work on until tomorrow," Naruto yelled. Another thought crossed his mind before he could stomp off with determination. "Wait, you should tell us more about this mission first, right Kakashi-sensei? That way I can get ready for it. Right, that's the first step. So, what are we going to do? Whatever it is, I'm going to be prepared!"

Sasuke smirked. "You are hoping I won't have to save your life again, right? Don't stare at me all angry now, I'm hoping for the same."

Kakashi interrupted the two before Naruto would use his fists to fight back. "It's a top-secret mission. You mustn't tell anyone about it. We are going to Sunagakure to deliver some documents."

"Why are we doing a mission with another team simply to deliver some documents?" Sasuke asked though his voice sounded even more annoyed than it usually did.

"Must be important documents." Kakashi shrugged.

Naruto nodded, though he wasn't too satisfied with the information he'd been given. He wanted to prepare himself, and proof himself to be better than Sasuke. He eagerly went back to practice.

Sakura and Naho left too, but Kakashi stopped Sasuke from following them.

"That bruise on Naho's cheek was your doing, wasn't it?"

"Does it matter? We are covered in bruises all the time anyway."

"It's not so much about the bruise but how it got there. I'm just wondering if there are any internal issues in our team I should know about."

"There aren't." Sasuke turned around to leave.

"Don't treat her differently because she reminds you of your past," Kakashi said after him. He could only imagine how much Naho had to look like one of Sasuke's dead relatives. But it was obvious that Sasuke behaved differently towards her. Kakashi couldn't make up his mind quite yet it if was a good thing or not.

Sasuke immediately whirled around to him again, a big frown on his forehead. "Don't ever talk of my past again. You are not a part of it, so you have no right. And neither is Naho. I don't care about her." His voice became more heated. "She's weak, that's all I care about. All of them are weak. Even Naruto, who's supposed to be our Jinchuuriki."

Kakashi quietly waited for his rant to be over, not showing any sort of emotional reaction. He was only glad the other three seemed too invested in their practice to actually notice Sasuke and him having another argument.

"He's been given this immense power by the Fourth, hasn't he? Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama. The strongest shinobi of our village have all been Jinchuuriki. If I had this power…"

"… you would not be able to use it either." Kakashi interrupted him. "I'd go so far as to say you would not be able to control it one bit."

Sasuke laughed straight at Kakashi's face. Kakashi only stared back at him with cold eyes.

"You are wishing for a demon to live inside of you. Yet you can't even control your own emotions and attitude without one. They would feed right off on all those thoughts about revenge inside of you. They'd slowly eat you away. You think controlling a tailed-beast is easy? You think Naruto was just gifted power without having to work for it? Even the First and Second Hokage couldn't control their beasts properly. It was the demons that eventually led to their deaths. To the deaths of the two greatest shinobi this village has ever seen."

"That's not what they taught us at the Academy."

Kakashi laughed. "Of course not. The truth is not always what people want to hear. They want to remember Hashirama and Tobirama as heroes. Because they need heroes."

"How would you know anything about this?" Sasuke asked. He didn't quite trust his teacher's words yet.

"There's a lot you learn once you move up in ranks. And often you realise that reality isn't always what it seems like." Kakashi opened _Icha Icha _again and skipped to the page he'd stopped at. "Don't tell any of this to the others. Especially not Naruto. It's better for all of us if he continues to think of Hashirama as the first person to fully control the ninetails."

* * *

Kakashi handed an official document to all of his students, signed by the Hokage himself and told them not to lose it. It was their pass that would allow them to enter Sunagakure freely. Despite the two villages being friendly, their leaders rarely appreciated it if foreign shinobi visited without reason.

Gai handed the same documents to his team.

"You are Sasuke Uchiha, right?" Lee approached him, offering him his hand.

Sasuke didn't shake it.

"Huh, seems the last Uchiha doesn't care about manners." Neji eyed Sasuke from head to toes. He'd often been compared to him. But while Sasuke's destiny was to be the last living heir of the respected Uchiha clan, Neji was destined to be a branch member. His talent wasn't going to do him any good.

"Manners don't count anything in this world. Only strength does." Sasuke put the document from Kakashi away in his backpack.

Lee smiled, pulling his hand back. "That's fine by me too. I'm looking forward to fighting you one day and prove my own strength. Maybe you will accept my handshake after I've beat you. I assume we'll face each other in the Chuunin exams?"

Sasuke didn't answer, but only threw dark glances at Kakashi.

"Huh, the Chuunin exams? Are we even allowed to take those while we are still in our first Genin year?" Naruto asked. He'd heard people around the village talk about them.

"You need the approval of your sensei. But if you have it you are good to go." Tenten was standing next to Naho, an arm put around her shoulders.

"Well, my team will participate next time. I still have a lot to teach them," Kakashi said before Naruto could get all excited thinking him taking the Chuunin exam was an option.

Gai raised a fist into the air. He was filled with excitement. "Alright, team. Let's go! We have a long journey ahead of us. I say we do 30 minutes of sprinting followed by 200 sit ups and repeat that until lunch time."

* * *

Kakashi's team was completely out of breath when they finally stopped to make camp. It wasn't dark yet, but neither Kakashi nor Gai wanted to continue. They would reach the desert soon, and a night in the desert was anything but enjoyable.

Naho let herself fall to the ground next to Tenten. She'd done her best trying to keep up to her throughout their journey, but somehow, Tenten didn't seem remotely as beat as her.

"I'm just used to it." Tenten laughed, patting Naho's shoulder.

Naho wiped the sweat away from her forehead and cheeks. She'd wanted to talk to Tenten. She still did. But the constant running had kept all of them too busy to talk. And even in their breaks, Naho didn't know how to address it. She wanted to know if Tenten had ever been scared. She wanted to know if feeling terrified by life was normal. Because Naho sure was. But Tenten looked too carefree, with a constant smile on her face and banter between her and her teammates. Naho didn't think she would understand after all.

They started to put up tents once the Genin had given their arms and legs some rest.

"The daughter of our First Hokage is the current Kazekage's wife, right?" Sakura asked Kakashi, happy she could show off that she'd paid attention during history classes.

Naruto on the other hand seemed rather surprised their old Hokage had relatives in another village. "How come I've never heard of her before if she's the daughter of Hashirama? He's a legend after all! Is she just as strong as him?"

Sakura hit Naruto's shoulder with one of the sticks she'd collected for the campfire. "It's because you've always skipped classes, you idiot!"

"Anyway, I want to meet her!"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Naruto." Kakashi was leaning against a tree, watching his Genin prepare the camp while reading. "She died many years ago."

Naruto was disappointed that pretty much every shinobi who was considered a legend or was somehow related to one was already dead. "But how come she married someone from Sunagakure? She was a shinobi of Konoha, wasn't she?"

"Political marriages are quite common among noble clans," Neji added to the conversation. "Even today." It was a topic he was quite familiar with. The Hyuuga clan had a long history of arranged marriages. Barely anyone ever married for love.

Gai straightened himself to give a little lecture on Konoha and its alliance to Sunagakure, an alliance that went back all the way to the beginnings of the First Shinobi War. He proudly shared his knowledge with them, explaining how the marriage between Hashirama's daughter and Rasa assured that their alliance was strong enough to survive two more wars afterwards, lasting until the present. Kakashi only quietly nodded, glad someone else had the enthusiasm to explain common knowledge to Naruto.

They went to sleep early. Gai explained they would have to get up before sunrise again, to make the most out of the early hours of the day. The desert was too hot around noon and in the afternoon to effectively cover a big distance.

Naho lay in her tent awake, wondering when it would finally be her turn to keep guard. Sakura was sleeping next to her, but whenever Naho closed her eyes, she would fall half-asleep and have vivid dreams of an enemy entering their tent, and sitting next to them, watching them. Most of the time, she wasn't even sure if she was asleep or not.

After a while, she decided to get up and see if she could be of any use outside. If she was already awake, she might as well take over guard.

Tenten was sitting by the fire, yawning, a blanket wrapped around her. "It's not your turn yet," she said when she spotted Naho.

"I couldn't sleep. I can take over if you want." She sat down next to Tenten. The heat of the fire felt hot against her skin.

"I was hoping you and I would get to go on a mission some time. I guess we've both been busy with life lately." Tenten didn't seem to plan on leaving.

Naho quietly nodded. Being a shinobi surely took up a lot of time. It was more than just a job.

"Don't you have some exciting stories to tell me from your missions? Or any interesting jutsu you have learned?" Tenten's voice was filled with enthusiasm.

Naho didn't want to think about her missions. None of them had been exciting. Especially not the latest one. "Well, Kakashi-sensei taught me to use some fire jutsu," she said instead.

"Really?" Naho hadn't expected Tenten to be that surprised. "Show me!" she said, clapping her hands.

Both Kakashi and Sasuke could use fire jutsu as well. Better even than Naho. To her, this was nothing special anymore, yet Tenten acted like she could use some special secret technique. "I don't think I'm supposed to use those outside of a fight or training."

"Ah, come on. No one's going to notice. And if they do, I'll take the blame."

Naho looked around before picking up a dried wooden stick. She formed a sign and breathed fire onto it, turning it into a little torch.

Tenten clapped her hands again. "I wish I could do that too."

"What's your elemental affinity?"

Tenten grinned. "None, I guess? It seems like I don't have any talent at all regarding elemental ninjutsu."

Naho looked at the glowing stick again that slowly burned down. She threw it into the campfire before it would reach her hands. "Have you ever thought about quitting? Like, giving up on becoming a shinobi?"

"Of course." Tenten nodded. "Many times actually. Do you know Lady Tsunade?"

"One of the Sannin?" That was all Naho knew about her.

Tenten nodded again. "She is the best medical-nin there is. And my idol."

"Really? Sakura says she wants to be a medical-nin too. You never told me you wanted to be one."

"Yeah because… I gave up on it a while ago. And I also almost gave up on being a shinobi altogether at that point."

Naho quietly listened. She'd met Tenten almost two years ago, yet Tenten had never told her anything about this.

"You know, I always wanted to be like my mom, though I never actually got to know her. I thought… she would be proud of me if I became a medical-nin just like her. And my father told me that she always looked up to Lady Tsunade. But it seems like I'm 100% my father and can only work with a hammer in my hand or something like that." She made a silly face and laughed at herself. "But really, for most of my first year, I tried to be someone I wasn't. I created this picture of my mother in my head, a collection of everything my father had ever told me about her. But I just failed over and over again to become that person until I was ready to give up."

"And why didn't you?"

She looked over to the tents. "My teammates were trying so hard too. Especially Lee. He never gave up, despite having even less talent. He was set on finding a way, a different way. So who would I be to just give up?"

Naho nodded, but Tenten's words hadn't really helped her with her own problems. They didn't take her fear away. Finding one's own way sounded nice. But Naho didn't even know where she was going.

* * *

They continued their journey a few hours before sunrise and soon reached the Land of Wind. An ocean full of sand lay before them. It made walking and running harder and left them even more exhausted before the sun even started to rise, together with the temperature.

Kakashi and Gai had been leading the group of Genin until they stopped at around noon. The sun was right on top of them.

"Are we finally going to take a break again?" Sakura complained. Her nose and cheeks were of a light red colour already and she was looking around to find some shades. "I really need like two bottles of water right now."

One bottle after the other was emptied. Kakashi and Gai watched them, giving them a few minutes to recover. "Actually, no we are not taking a break," Kakashi eventually said.

"Right, from here on, our ways will split," Gai said. "Kakashi and I will bring the documents to Suna. You guys will get a new mission."

"What? What kind of mission?" Naruto, Sakura, Lee and Tenten all started to talk at the same time, each of them tried to get their questions answered first before the others.

"Just listen and I'll explain," Kakashi said.

Gai interrupted him before he could continue. "It's a race!" he yelled enthusiastically. "Team Gai vs Team Kakashi! I'm so excited to see who will come out on top. The team that reaches Sunagakure first, of course, with all its members, is the winner. Who knows, maybe if you guys can beat my team Kakashi will rethink letting you join the Chuunin exams." Gai laughed at team 7. "Though you won't!" His laughing intensified even more.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. He could see that Sakura was about to raise her hand this time to ask questions, so he cut her off. "Alright, you all know what to do, right? Just manage to get to Sunagakure first. Gai and I will go ahead and wait for you. It starts…"

"Now!" Gai yelled again and sand whirled up around them.

The seven Genin had to cover their eyes, and when they opened them again, Kakashi and Gai were gone. The two teams stared at each other for a moment, baffled with the sudden turn this mission had taken. But it didn't take long until the determination to win made its way into their eyes.

"Lee, Neji! Let's go!" Tenten dropped smoke bombs around them.

And again, team 7 was left covering their eyes and nose. They coughed and sneezed from the smoke around them. When it slowly dissolved, Gai's team was gone as well.

Naruto immediately dropped his backpack in search for a map. "Where are we? Where are we supposed to go? Like, does any of you know the way?"

"Well, we came from that direction over there." Sakura pointed backwards, towards a larger hill they'd passed earlier. It was pretty much the only landmark around them, apart from some dead trees their teachers had left them at. "So I guess we'll just continue straight on?"

Sasuke quietly pulled out a compass from his backpack. "Sunagakure is located in the southwest of Konoha. If we took the direct route towards Suna, we'd just have to continue going southwest. Which would be… this direction."

The four Genin all looked into the direction Sasuke pointed at. There was nothing but more sand.

"Look! There are some footprints! This means either Kakashi-sensei or Gai's team went that way as well, right? That's it! Let's go!" Naruto stormed off. He wasn't going to lose this challenge.

His teammates followed him. The compass had to be right. And the footprints only confirmed it was right.

The scorching sun followed them. They were another day's walk away from Sunagakure. But there was no time to hide from the rising temperatures when one had a race to win.


	18. Finding the Way: Part 2

"Are we sure this is the right way?"

Team 7 hadn't raced through the desert for long before doubts rose amongst them. Naho glanced back at the sun that was rising behind them, following them.

"I'm also not sure if footprints are enough to trust. I mean, the desert is dangerous. What if we get lost?" Sakura agreed with her teammate.

"But the compass also said this was southwest, right?" Naruto didn't stop while they were discussing the matter. And neither did the others. They kept pushing forward. "Besides, there is absolutely no one else around. So whom else should those traces belong to if not Kakashi-sensei or Gai's team?"

Sasuke too started glancing backwards now. "But it is weird. You'd think we'd meet more travellers on the main road between Konoha and Suna. There isn't even a real road here."

They slowed down as they were suddenly less and less convinced they were on the right track.

"I don't know. I've never been to Suna before. Is there supposed to be a road?" Sakura tried to remember when the road they'd been on had ceased to exist. But she could barely remember. Gai-sensei had them run so much and do sit-up after sit-up that she didn't have time to pay any attention to where they were going. They all blindly followed their teachers. But now their teachers were gone. And they were alone, in a desert.

"Come on, guys. Does anyone of you still see Gai's team? Because I don't. They'll win this challenge if we don't hurry up!" Naruto urged them to pick up the pace again. But Sakura punched him so hard on the back that he stumbled over his own feet. The soft sand underneath didn't help regaining his balance. Naruto stumbled and fell. And so they all came to a stop.

"We also won't win the challenge if we run in the wrong direction," she lectured Naruto. "Besides, we are at least a day's marsh away from Suna."

"I might be imagining this, but…" Naho looked back at the little hill they'd passed on their way with Kakashi and Gai. It was far away already. The sun towered over it. "We came from over there, right? From past that hill. But the sun rose straight behind it."

"Yes, we definitely passed that hill. It's really the only landmark around here," Sakura said.

"If the sun rose there, that would mean that east is that way. So we'd have come straight from the east," Sasuke added.

"But we were supposed to always be going south-west. Are we… lost?" Sakura looked around.

"I think you guys are overthinking this." Naruto pulled out his map again, even though he didn't know what good it would do him. But looking at maps sure made you look smarter. "Why would Kakashi-sensei go the wrong way? Sure, sometimes he's a bit out of it, but Gai-sensei would have noticed."

They all thought about it for a moment, until Sakura said: "Maybe this is a test. To see if we find the right way? You know, during the bell test, Kakashi-sensei also said the goal was to get the bells. But in reality, it was to show teamwork."

"I don't care what his intention was," Sasuke said. "I'm not blindly running into the desert based on some footprints. Do you know how big the Country of Wind is? We need a plan."

Naruto pouted, but agreed. "Fine," he gave in. "So what's the plan? How are we supposed to find out where we are?"

"Give me your map." Sakura didn't wait for him to hand it to her but grabbed it instead. She searched her own backpack for a pencil and some thread.

"What are you doing?" Naho asked, but all her teammates were eying her up as she drew a circle on the map.

"Well, the line of this circle should approximately show where we could possibly be right now, just judging from our average traveling speed and the time that has passed since we left Konoha. Obviously, we can rule out most of these places since we definitely went westwards and are in the Land of Wind right now."

"So we just need to find out where we are exactly on that line you drew through the Land of Winds. Maybe we should split up and search for villages and other landmarks nearby?" Sasuke said, already looking if there was anything nearby on the maps that could help them navigate. "We should also be north of Suna, right? The Land of Rocks would be north of us." He traced the path they would have taken with his finger.

"If we are north of Suna, we'll just have to go south instead." Naruto said. He muscles itched to keep moving.

"Isn't there a way to make sure we are on the right track?" Naho looked around, but there was nothing but desert and a mountain, which was not tall enough to be marked on any map.

"I guess, but…" Sakura put the map away and looked around them once more, at all the sand. "I don't think splitting up is a good idea. If one of us gets lost in this desert…" She didn't have to end her sentence for everyone to understand that the desert meant death.

"Checking all the possible landmarks one after the other could take days. We are still part of a competition here." Sasuke too still cared about winning. Gai's words still very much present in his mind.

Naruto had quietly been listening, arms crossed in front of him, nodding at everything his teammates said. "Don't worry, guys! I know what to do," he eventually exclaimed with a bright smile on his face. "I'll just summon as many shadow clones as we need. They can run into all directions, and we can check them all at once without having to split up!"

"That is… actually a good idea," Sakura admitted and they put their plan into action.

Naruto summoned clone after clone, and with every clone, he could feel his chakra levels dropping and the red chakra from his seal spread more and more in his body to substitute it. He stopped summoning clones once the red chakra threatened to overtake him. He could almost hear the ninetail's voice in his head, could almost feel emotions that weren't his. Hate, envy, desperation. Naruto eventually put one of the paper seals Kakashi had given him on his belly. Secretly, not to worry anyone. He wasn't going to risk anything.

* * *

Every time a clone dispelled itself, Naruto and his team gathered more information on their surroundings. Naruto suddenly knew of little villages and travelling nomadic tribes, of stone formations and rivers. But every time a clone dispelled itself, Naruto not only got information, but also thirst. His bottle of water was soon dry, and the bottles of Naho and Sakura followed. Some of his clones had been running for hours while team 7 sat in the shades, filling their maps with information and waiting for the heat to pass.

"Do you want us to die in this heat? You can't just drink all the water!" Sakura eventually scolded him.

"I can't help it. It feels like I didn't get a single drop of water in days," Naruto said, grabbing a bottle again, but it was empty. "Wait, was this the last?"

Sakura jumped up. "You drank _all our water_?" she yelled at him in disbelief. "We are still a whole day away from Suna, what are the three of us supposed to drink now?"

Naho looked at her teammate, wondering, "You know water jutsu, right? Couldn't you just… fill the bottles up again?"

Sakura looked back at her, wondered herself, and suddenly turned even redder than she already was from the sun. "I'm not going to spit water for you guys to drink!"

But hour after hour, the four Genin became thirstier and thirstier, even from just sitting around.

"Man, this sucks. Is the night ever coming?" Naruto was lying in the shades, his lips dry. "I really hope my other clones find some water and drink it. I can't take any more thirst."

Sakura could barely swallow herself. She'd never been this dehydrated before, and she couldn't believe just how fast the desert sucked every last drop of water out of you. So she reconsidered what Naho had said, and eventually decided to give it a try.

She formed a sign and seconds later, spit fresh water into her bottle. It surprised her just how easy it had been.

"I want some too!" Naruto immediately begged.

Sakura's first impulse was to punch him away from her water. But he did look awfully thirsty. "You don't mind that I… _made _this?" she eventually asked.

Naruto shook his head and she decided to share after all. Teammates weren't of much use when dying of thirst. She asked Naho and Sasuke if they wanted some too, trying to sound as casual as possible. After all, water was water. It didn't matter where the water came from. Naho gladly accepted. But Sasuke showed the reaction Sakura had feared.

"I'm not drinking your spit." He frowned.

Sakura instantly flushed red. It didn't help that Naruto was giggling next to her, acting like they just had their first kiss. "I make sure you guys have water to drink and this is how you thank me?" She hit Naruto and grabbed the water bottle from him. "Grow up! It's just water," she scolded him, but couldn't get herself to look at Sasuke. It hurt her heart more than she wanted to accept that Sasuke refused _her_ water.

But as time went by, even Sasuke reconsidered and gave Sakura's water a try.

* * *

When the sun was setting and temperatures were cooling down, team 7 finally managed to cover a good amount of distance again. They were pretty sure about their location, and it seemed that the two teachers had, in fact, led them into the wrong direction. Instead of being east of Suna, they were north of it.

The feeling of accomplishment spurred them on. They had figured it out. They found the right way. They moved so fast that inevitably hope came back in all of them that they could still make it before Gai's team, that Gai's team had followed the wrong way. In all of them except for Naho. She was missing the competitive drive that pushed the others further ahead. To her, it made no difference whether they won or lost a race against another team. Tenten being part of the other team didn't change anything for her either.

Sasuke didn't care much about the race either. To him, it was only a "stupid race across the desert" as he called it, one that wouldn't improve his skills or help him get closer to his goal. That is, it would be just that if Gai hadn't told them Kakashi might reconsider allowing them to participate in the Chuunin exams if team 7 won the race. Of course, Sasuke was aware this was mostly a joke from Gai. But if there was even the slightest chance Kakashi would reconsider after all, Sasuke would give it his all. He wanted to be part of those Chuunin exams.

Sakura and Naruto both wanted to win this challenge to be the best, even when it was only a "stupid race across the desert". Because being the best earned you acknowledgement, and acknowledgment was something they both yearned for.

And so they ran and ran, and Naho followed them, simply because she didn't want to hold them back. She wanted to win this race too. Not because she cared about winning, but because her teammates cared. And she wanted to see them happy.

* * *

They stopped halfway through the night in an area covered in tumbleweed. Naruto still had to go relieve himself every half an hour because of all the water he'd drank, and the others took the opportunity to rest for just a moment.

Sasuke checked the map again. Sakura calculated the remaining distance to Sunagakure.

"Careful, Sakura!" Naruto yelled as he came back.

Sakura didn't know what she was supposed to be careful of. She didn't see anything, nor hear anything. Yet Naruto dashes towards her, lunged at her, and grabbed something on the ground next to her.

A snake flew through the air. Naruto had grabbed it by its tail to pull it away from his teammate. The snake turned in the air and chose to attack the person holding onto it. Its two spiky teeth vanished in Naruto's hand.

He let go of it again as quickly as he'd grabbed it, throwing it away from them towards the bushes. The snake happily vanished in them.

Sakura almost immediately grabbed Naruto's hand to look at it. "Were you bit?" she asked, but the two small red dots near his thumb clearly showed her he was.

"Yeah, but don't worry. It hurts a bit, but I'll be fine." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, somehow embarrassed at the sudden worry his teammate showed for him.

"But what if it was venomous?" Another thought suddenly crossed her mind. "We have to catch it! Don't move, Naruto!" She immediately ran off to where the snake vanished to.

Sasuke eventually did manage to catch the snake. Or at least he caught a snake. A kunai stuck in its head, pinning it to the ground as the three of them approached to inspect it.

"Does it have a red cross on the head?" Sakura asked, trying to get a better look without actually having to touch it.

"Maybe? It's hard to tell with the kunai stuck in there," Naho said.

Sasuke quietly pulled the kunai out and lifted the dead snake at its tail. "So what are we going to do with it now?"

Sakura jumped a few steps backwards as he held the dead reptile in her direction. "Well, uh… I read a bit about snakes and their venoms before we departed. In order to treat a snake bite, you have to know what kind of snake it was."

"And why should there be a red cross on its head?"

"The most venomous snake in the Land of Wind can be identified by a red cross on the head. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't that one, because…"

"Because?" Naho eyed the head of the snake again. This time without the kunai.

"Well, it's rather deadly. People that are bitten die in a few hours if not given the antidote immediately."

All three stared at the snake.

"That's not a red cross, right?" Naho said.

"There is something red on the head though," Sakura noted.

"Don't you have more info? Like, any other characteristics?" Sasuke asked.

"I mean, I'm not a snake expert. I only read about the red cross."

"So how do we get the antidote if it really is that venomous snake?" Sasuke asked again.

Sakura dropped her gaze. "I suppose Sunagakure should have some."

"But we are still at least half a day's march away from Suna." Naho's voice got quieter as she realised Naruto was coming over to them.

"What's taking you guy's so long? We should continue or we won't beat Gai's team in the race." His eyes fell on the snake. "Oh, you caught it?"

"Why did you come here? I told you not to move. The venom will just spread faster!" Sakura immediately exclaimed.

Sasuke dropped it. It wasn't of any use.

"Venom? Does that mean it's poisonous?" Naruto asked. He wasn't too worried yet. After all, he felt fine.

"Venomous," Sakura corrected Naruto, but then realised this probably wasn't the right time and place to teach Naruto new words. "Well, we are not sure. It might be. We should play it safe and expect the worst."

Naruto started to worry when he found out that worst case scenario was that he'd be dead in a few hours.

"So what do I do know?" he asked, panic started to rise in him. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I'll suck the poison out." He grabbed a kunai, ready to cut the bite open.

Sakura stopped him. "What are you doing? Idiot, that won't do any good."

"Why not? I can suck it out!"

"Just stay still for now so it doesn't spread. That is, if there was any venom at all. Maybe this snake was completely harmless."

Naruto wasn't good at staying still. He wanted to act, do something. But he still obliged to Sakura and carefully listened as his teammates discussed what to do next.

"We definitely can't continue like this. Even if it wasn't the red crossed snake, there are still many more that are venomous in this country. Naruto should rest," Sakura said.

Sasuke frowned. "We are in the middle of nowhere. At least in Suna they could treat him."

"But he wouldn't make it there." Naruto now frowned at Sakura's words, wondering if this really was the end.

"What if one of us runs ahead and comes back with a medic?" Naho suggested.

"That would take too long as well. Snake poison usually only gives you a few hours." Sakura tried to remember the article she'd read. Making an antidote took long, years sometimes. That was definitely not an option. But she remembered that there were other options. None that were proven and taught to medical shinobi, but those used by old desert tribes. Snake venom often clotted the blood, so there were certain herbs those tribes used as blood thinner. It wasn't necessarily a cure, but aimed to treat the imminent effects of the venom.

"There are some herbs that should grow around here," Sakura explained to the others. "We should collect some, just in case."

Naruto switched his body weight from one foot to the other, trying to remain calm. "No," he said. "We should just keep going. I feel fine. If we stop now, we won't be able to beat Gai's team. We'll lose."

There was silence. They all knew that Naruto was right. If they decided to rest and search for the herbs, it would take hours away, a whole day even since they couldn't continue their journey when the sun was up.

"Don't be stupid," Sasuke eventually said. "I doubt Kakashi would give us the win if you ended up dead for it. So let's get these herbs."

The two girls immediately agreed.

Naruto didn't object. He didn't say anything, but he felt a warmth spreading inside of him. They were worried. He felt bad holding them back, being the reason why they would lose this. But he also felt glad, happy that he now had teammates who valued his life more than the win in a race.

* * *

They set up a small camp with a fire. It was still dark, though the full moon in the sky bathed the sand around them in white light. But the moon barely offered any warmth, and the desert became awfully cold at night.

Sakura had prepared a salve with the herbs they collected and Sasuke had even managed to hunt them some dinner. Now all they could do was to sit by the fire and wait.

"Naruto…" Sakura's voice was soft. He'd never heard her speak his name in such a manner. Usually it was accompanied by annoyance and anger. "Thank you," she added.

He looked at her, unsure what she was talking about.

"You were bit because you wanted to protect me."

"Oh. It was nothing, really. We are a team, aren't we? We are here to watch out for each other." He wasn't quite sure where the sudden need to downplay his action came from, but the fact that Sakura thanked him was weirdly embarrassing. He'd always wished for recognition, dreamed of being a hero. But now that Sakura was thankful, he didn't really know what he was supposed to say.

He turned towards here a bit, but Sakura instantly scolded him not to move.

Naho sneezed.

"It's pretty cold all of a sudden," Sakura noted. "How can it be this hot during the day and then be this cold at night?" It wasn't really a question she expected an answer to. She already knew the answer. She knew the theory behind it, but it still surprised her. Experiencing something first-hand was different from reading it in books.

"Your hands are really cold too." Naho took her hands into hers. The two girls instinctively scooped further together, seeking each other's warmth.

"How are you doing, Naruto?" Naho asked, one of her arms wrapped around Sakura.

Naruto hand and arm were tingling, almost like they were going numb. But he didn't tell them. He knew they would worry. "Maybe we should make a bigger fire," he eventually suggested. All of them felt the chill of the night. And none of them wore clothes that would protect them from the cold. Naruto was the only one with a jacket. He'd wanted to give it to Sakura or Naho. He heard it was something expected of men, to give their jacket to a girl they like. But the two girls both refused to take it.

But Naruto didn't mind. He'd often tried to share his things with classmates and other children in the past. They had never accepted his pencil when they forgot theirs or agreed to share his sweets. They always ran away, pretending he had some sort of contagious disease they would catch. It had left Naruto sad and frustrated, to the point when he stopped trying to share.

He thought back to that time now, and a smile appeared on his lips, despite his arm throbbing in pain. Because he knew life had changed. They didn't refuse his jackets because they hated him. They cared about him.

"If you are cold, you can come here too," Naho said, pointing at the spot next to her. "We'll be warmer together."

Sakura's first impulse was to tell him off and shoo him away. But she changed her mind before saying a word. "That's a good idea, Naho. We can warm each other!" Her eyes glanced at Sasuke sitting at the other side of the fire. "You should come too, Sasuke-kun."

Naruto didn't hesitate to move closer to Naho and Sakura. But he did hesitate to snuggle up to them. He wasn't quite sure where to put his hands and how close he really was allowed to get.

"I'm fine over here." Sasuke didn't budge even a bit.

Naruto couldn't understand how Sasuke never appreciated the care and admiration people had for him, especially Sakura.

"It's actually kind of beautiful, isn't it?" Naho said, looking up at the sky. Being in the middle, she felt both Sakura's and Naruto's warmth. "There is not a single cloud up there. I never knew the sky had so many stars."

Her teammates looked up too, even Sasuke. Sakura and Naruto immediately agreed. The night sky above the desert was the most beautiful they had ever seen, like a whole ocean full of sparkling lights.

* * *

Kakashi had never been quite as enthusiastic about sending his Genin out into the desert alone as Gai had been. He'd also never been quite as convinced that they would manage to find the correct way. He could see them walk into the wrong direction, straight into the eternal nothingness of the desert, and be lost forever.

So Kakashi used a little cheat.

One of his Shadow Clones had been quietly following team 7, observing their every move. He wasn't going to interfere, but at least he would know if he could expect them back in a day, a month, or not at all.

And now that the Shadow Clone was watching the four kids, three of them snuggled up against each other, he didn't know whether to dispel the jutsu or continue his observation. If Naruto was dying of snake venom, the real Kakashi would want to know. And maybe he would even be able to deliver the antidote in time. After all, Kakashi and Gai had long arrived in Sunagakure.

But the clone knew there was another option. He scanned the area, and soon found what he was looking for. A good distance away from Naruto and the others were the Anbu, Naruto's guards that followed him everywhere – even into the desert.

"Yo." Kakashi's clone appeared next to them to greet them. Neither of two showed any reaction to his greeting, almost like they hadn't noticed him. But of course, they had noticed him a long while ago.

"You guys would prevent Naruto from dying of a snake bite, right? Just asking, you know, out of interest. You seem quite relaxed."

Komachi only glanced at him. "You seem quite relaxed yourself. Too relaxed around us, actually. Leave."

The Nara man laughed while playing around with some sort of puzzle cube. "Naruto's fine. That snake was barely venomous."

"So it's not the one they think it is?"

He shook his head, absorbed in his game. "They look very alike. But one's deadly, the other makes you feel a bit uneasy at best."

Kakashi nodded, somewhat relieved. The Nara didn't care much about the clone's presence, unlike the Yamanaka woman.

"You aren't needed here. Go dispel yourself or I will do it," she told him.

"I would still like to see how they are doing. I'm their teacher after all."

Komachi snorted. "Then do that somewhere else."

Kakashi's clone respected her wish and left to search for his own private spot. If there was someone understanding that someone wanted to be left alone, it was him. But there was still a soft smile on his lips. Naruto was going to be fine. His whole team was going to be fine. All they had to do was to continue on to Suna.

* * *

Kakashi quietly watched Gai and his team. Gai and Lee were dancing to celebrate their victory, while Neji and Tenten watched them with raised brows.

But Kakashi wasn't upset he lost.

He's eyes were locked on Suna's main gate as hours passed. Kakashi's Shadow Clone hadn't been released yet, so he could be pretty sure that nothing too bad happened to them. Yet he didn't know. He didn't know what his clone was seeing or feeling. At least not yet.

Kakashi was still sitting in the shades of the wall surrounding Suna, nothing but sand beneath him, when he felt a sudden change in his body. It was a familiar feeling. His muscles twitched as new information was sent to them, just enough for him to notice. It was a soft and subtle feeling, telling him that his clone had dispelled itself. The feeling was gone again as fast as it had appeared. Kakashi thought of his team again, and suddenly, he simply knew that they were fine. He knew that they had figured the correct way out quickly, he knew that Naruto got bit by a snake. He knew his teammates took care of him, put his well-being over winning. He could see the picture of them sitting next to each other, all cuddled up against each other except for Sasuke.

Team 7 appeared at the horizon, running towards the gates of Suna at full speed. A loud and lively discussion broke out as soon as they realised they hadn't won. Gai's team had. Sasuke blamed Naruto, Sakura blamed Naruto too, and Naruto did his best to defend himself, pointing out all the useful things he'd done along the way. But in the end, all of them were simply happy they had done it.

"You did good, all of you," Kakashi said, patting Sakura and Naruto's heads as they were closest to him. "You might not have won, but I'm still proud of you guys. Gai and his team already went to a barbecue restaurant. We should go too." Kakashi was actually prouder than his monotonous voice would suggest, but he wasn't really good at showing it. Still, after the disaster of their last mission, he was glad that his team still knew what teamwork was supposed to look like.

"What about those documents we were supposed to deliver here. Were they just fake?" Naruto asked while following Kakashi. But his eyes soon drifted off as he walked down the streets of Sunagakure, a village so different from his own. The houses looked different, a lot smaller and more simplistic, and all of them had the same brown colour. The people he met wore different clothing, covered their heads and shoulders with scarves. They all stared at him as he walked past them, not because he was a Jinchuuriki – they didn't know – but because he was clearly a foreigner. His headband told them, his clothes told them, and even his way of speaking did.

"No, Gai really was supposed to deliver those documents. Our team simply joined." Kakashi too noticed the people staring at them. They soon spotted Gai and his team, who were already sitting at a barbecue stand, ordering meal after meal and having a good time. Lee was still recounting the events of their journey and the experiences he'd made. When they noticed Kakashi's team, Gai and Lee put on airs for a moment before congratulating them in good sportsmanship.

"We were totally running into the wrong direction for quite a while." Tenten laughed. She pointed to the spot next to her for Naho to sit. "But I guess you guys did too."

Naruto was about to start bragging how his team never got lost and that they all figured it out right away. But Lee had something to say himself.

"Actually, Sakura-chan, there is something I have meant to tell you for a while now. And with this win, I feel confident enough to have earned the right to tell you this!" Lee rose from his seat, his eyes filled with determination. Neji only sighed, covering half his face in his palm, but Gai vocally cheered for his student. "I'm in love with you, Sakura-chan! Please become my girlfriend, I promise I will protect you with all my life for the rest of my life. For you, I would run across desert not once or twice, but a billion times!" Lee's voice echoed through the whole shop. The kitchen chef coughed into their direction with a frown on his head.

"Yes, Lee! That's the spirit! It's so inspiring to see this young youth blossoming," Gai added in a similar manner as Lee.

"What are you doing, bushy-brows? I thought you and I were buddies; I had my eyes on Sakura first! She's my teammate!" Naruto protested.

"You've lost two times to me. You should work on yourself first before you can think about the responsibilities of having a girlfriend," Lee lectured him like a grown man knowing what he was talking about.

Tenten grabbed his arm and pulled him down again. "Stop it, Lee. This is not how love works," she said.

Sakura punched Naruto. "Don't talk about me like you can just claim me. You know well enough my heart belongs to one person only. And that person is not you." She shyly smiled at Sasuke.

Kakashi decided to end the conversation. "Maybe we should leave for Konoha again, now."

"What? No way! I want to taste some Suna-specialities! Who knows when we get to come here again," Naruto protested. He'd just gotten around to looking at the menu.

"I really don't think we are wanted here," he said, looking at the kitchen chef again, who still stared them down.

Gai now looked around too, and only nodded. Lee on the other hand felt crushed. He couldn't understand how his confession ended up being ignored by almost everyone except for Naruto.

"I noticed too," Neji said. "People here seem very suspicious of us. The people in that shop over there have been staring at us all this time. And no other costumers ever entered here after us."

"Huh, why? We didn't do anything." Naruto still hadn't given up the hope of a good meal in a Sunagakure restaurant. Lee's confession had already left his mind too.

Kakashi grabbed Naruto's menu and put it back on the table, signalling them all to leave. Naruto complained all the way out of the village.

"We are not part of this village. They get nervous seeing us," Kakashi explained as soon as they were out in the desert again.

"But I thought we were allies?" Naruto asked. The other Genin couldn't quite understand the problem either.

"We are. But our relations have suffered quite a bit in the last few years," Gai now explained. "So we shouldn't push our luck staying there any longer than we have to. Unnecessary incidents could only threaten our treaty."

Naruto crossed his arms in front of him, pouting. He didn't even get to taste one dish in Sunagakure.

* * *

They way to Konoha was a much easier one. They followed an actual road travelled by other shinobi and merchants and were soon back in the shades of the forests of the Land of Fire.

"You look a bit down," Naho noted, running next to Tenten.

"Oh, it's nothing," Tenten said at first. She looked at the boys and their teachers running in front of them, Lee and Gai at the very front, and at Sakura. "Actually, I might be a bit jealous," she eventually said.

"Jealous? Why?"

"Remember our conversation on the way to Suna? You said Sakura wants to become a medic too. It's like… She's a civilian just like myself, but everything works out so much better for her."

Naho didn't understand. "Sakura hasn't learned a single medical jutsu yet."

"She can't be less talented than I am though. At least she knows ninjutsu. I wasn't even given the chance of becoming a medic because of how talentless I am."

They were still running after the others. Naho dodged roots and stones while still trying to keep her eyes and attention on her friend. "I thought you said you found a new way for your life. Maybe you aren't talented in ninjutsu, but you are talented in other things. I don't think you have to be jealous of Sakura."

Tenten pouted. "Well, Sakura also has this pretty, feminine hair too. You know, I tried make-up once and I looked like I'd fallen in a bucket full of paint. I can't even look that feminine of I try to."

Still, Naho didn't understand. And all she could think of were Sakura's many complaints of her big forehead and split ends.

"And now Lee likes her too." Tenten looked into Naho's big, wondering eyes. When she realised that Naho still didn't get it, she added, "I _like _Lee."

It took Naho a moment, but then the meaning of that sentence hit Naho as hard as the big stone in front of her. She stumbled over it and fell face down onto the ground.

The group came to a halt, staring back at Naho and Tenten.

Kakashi sighed. "You want to be a shinobi. You should be able to run in a straight line without falling over."

Naho apologised and got up again. After assuring them she was fine, their journey continued.

"You like Lee?" Naho asked, somewhat in disbelief, as soon as her own teammates were far enough away again.

"Is that such a surprise? Without Lee, I wouldn't be here today. He never gives up, and he showed me that I should never give up either. He's always so positive and works hard. I appreciate that. And I… really like that about him." She blushed a bit.

Naho had never seen her friend with a shy blush on her face before. "I always thought you and Neji…"

"What? No! Neji's my best friend, I would neve think of him like that." She looked more like herself again. "Besides, Neji is always all pessimistic and in a bad mood. He's the complete opposite of Lee. Sure, he doesn't have those bushy eyebrows and weird hair cut that Lee has but… I actually think those are kind of cute."

Naho stared at Tenten, still slightly irritated. But then she smiled, and said, "If Lee taught you to never give up, then I guess you shouldn't give up on him either just because he likes Sakura, right? I'm pretty sure he's not exactly Sakura's type, so..."

"I guess you are right." Tenten reciprocated her smile.

Naho thought about Tenten's words, and suddenly, she realised just how much Neji resembled Sasuke, and just how much Lee was exactly like Naruto. "You know, maybe you'd actually really like Naruto too." Naho could tell from the look on Tenten's face that she disagreed. "Why not? He's a lot like Lee. You don't even know him, yet you don't seem to like him much."

Tenten dropped her gaze. "It's not that I dislike Naruto, it's more… My mother died when the ninetails last broke out and went on a rampage in the village. That time, Naruto hadn't even been his Jinchuuriki, so I know it's not his fault. But still, my father always gets so upset when he sees Naruto and is reminded that Konoha is keeping a weapon in our village that has the potential to destroy the whole village. And growing up, it just stuck with me."

Naho looked at Naruto running further ahead. He was talking with Lee, a smile on his face. She'd known nothing about the tailed beasts when she'd come to Konoha. And even in the Academy, she always thought they were more of a myth than reality. But they sure were Naruto's reality, accompanying him wherever he went. The ninetails was a part of him, a part he never chose.

* * *

Back in Konoha, team 7 was about to split up and call it a day when Kakashi stopped them.

"Sasuke," he called out to his student. "Actually, I reconsidered what I said about the Chuunin exams. You can take them if you still want."

Sasuke was as surprised as his teammates were. But he soon put on a confident smirk, acting as if this had been a given all along.

"What do you mean, Sasuke can take the Chuunin exams? What about us? We are a team, aren't we?" Naruto immediately complained.

"You guys are a four-man squad. The exams usually put you into teams of three. You couldn't all participate together anyway," Kakashi explained. He had already expected complaints from both Naruto and Sakura.

"Then how are we ever going to take the exams?" Sakura asked. She was relatively calm still, despite being alarmed Sasuke could leave them. "We are four people, so one would always be left out."

Kakashi smiled. "You don't have to take the exams with your Genin team. There are plenty of teams that get split up because usually, there are always some people on a team that pass and some that fail and have to take it again. I'm sure there are plenty of two-man squads out there looking for a third member like Sasuke to join them."

"Why is it always about Sasuke?" Naruto kept on complaining. "I want to take the exams too! Why does only Sasuke get to join?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Kakashi wanted to be honest with Naruto. He hoped that this way, the boy would understand his decision. "You are nowhere close to being able to control the ninetails properly. You taking the exam would be a danger for both yourself as well as your teammates."

Naruto's gaze immediately dropped.

Kakashi put a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder. "But don't worry. There are plenty of opportunities to take the exams still to come. You'll just continue working hard and maybe you can take them the next time with Sakura and Naho." Kakashi wasn't the best at sounding motivational, but he still tried.

Sasuke grinned at Naruto, but he was smart enough not to tease him right now and have Kakashi reconsider his decision.

"But… Will Sasuke be fine with two new teammates?" Sakura now asked.

"It's not optimal," Kakashi admitted. "Teamwork is often a pivotal part of the exam. But as a Chuunin, you are expected to work together with different partners and teams. So Sasuke will have to manage."

"And what happens to team 7 when Sasuke is a Chuunin? We are still in our first Genin year. I didn't even know you can take the exams this early." Sakura had always thought the day her and Sasuke would not be on the same team anymore was still far in the future. There were still so many things she'd wanted to do. She'd wanted to become closer to him, prove to him that she was serious.

"Well, if he passes, he can take my place and lead you guys on some easy missions." Kakashi smiled at them.

Naruto's face went blank. "You mean… he'll be our leader? Our superior? Ugh… I don't know, Sasuke. Don't you want to work on that Fireball Jutsu some more? They aren't really the biggest fireballs."

Sasuke snorted. "I'm done wasting time as a Genin. I want to take the exams, Kakashi."

Naruto bit his lips so hard he almost drew blood. He understood that he wasn't ready yet to take those exams. But he couldn't accept that Sasuke was supposed to be ready. And deep inside, he couldn't help but hope that Sasuke would fail miserably.

"Alright, then I'll check the applications for two-man squads and match you with someone," Kakashi said. He was ready to end the conversation at that point.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura blurted out just as he turned away from them to leave. "I want to participate too."

Naruto and Sasuke both stared at her, blurting out a surprised "You?!"

She ignored their comments and concentrated on Kakashi. "Please, I know I'm nowhere as strong as Sasuke yet. But I've worked hard too. And we are a four-man squad. If we split up, we should do so by forming teams of two. It makes more sense that way. We already know our weaknesses and strengths."

Sakura was ready to come up with more points to convince her teacher, but Kakashi simply looked at her with a casual look and said, "Okay."

"Really?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi shrug his shoulders. "You survived two days in the desert, you'll likely survive the Chuunin exams as well. I'm not sure it's enough to pass, but it might be a good learning opportunity."

Naruto could taste blood in his mouth. This wasn't fair at all. He didn't want Sasuke and Sakura to form a team without him.

Naho took his hand. The sudden touch pulled Naruto out of his thoughts. She was smiling at him. "I guess you and I will have to cheer for them."

Naruto returned a soft smile. He was bitter. But at least he still had Naho.


	19. The Chuunin Exams: Part 1

Kakashi slowly walked towards the conference room of the Hokage building. He assumed he'd been called in because the Hokage was still looking for help for the Chuunin exam. Usually, the Chuunin helped with those, but when they were lacking helpers, even Jounin had to lend a hand.

Kakashi knew his assumption was wrong when he entered the room and Jiraiya was sitting at the table. The shinobi greeted him with a nod.

Kakashi sat down looking around. More Jounin were present, as well as the Hokage himself. It seemed like he'd been the last to arrive.

"Now that everyone's here…" the Hokage started speaking. "I'm afraid we've received some worrying news. Jiraiya has been tracking some of Orochimaru's activity, and it seems that he's been in contact with Sunagakure and the Kazekage lately."

"The Kazekage? Why's that?" Genma asked while casually chewing on a needle.

"We don't know yet," the Hokage admitted. "But with the Chuunin exams coming up, we need to be especially careful. There will be a lot of Sand shinobi in our village."

"Isn't Sunagakure's Jinchuuriki taking part in the exams? We shouldn't allow it. Those things are like a ticking time bomb. They are dangerous enough, even without Orochimaru involved," an older Jounin said.

Kurenai glanced at Kakashi, expecting him to speak up and defend his student who was a Jinchuuriki too, but Kakashi didn't. He rested his face on his hand and barely looked like he was even listening.

"Jinchuuriki's are more than just weapons," the Hokage said in his stead. "They are people. Someone's comrades, children, friends. And in the case of Sunagakure's Jinchuuriki, Gaara, the grandson of our first Hokage. It would be utterly disrespectful to both Suna and Hashirama if we forbid him to join our Chuunin exams."

"Gaara hasn't been raised in Konoha. His name is neither Senju nor Uzumaki. If Rasa is truly plotting against Konoha with Orochimaru, I'm sure Gaara's loyalties would lie with his father. He's dangerous," someone else continued the discussion.

"Rasa seems like an honourable man to me," another Jounin argued back. "Does he really have a good enough reason to attack his wife's village using their own son as a weapon?"

"Honourable?" The shinobi scoffed. "He has two bastard children. He betrayed Konoha the moment he betrayed Hanako and took a mistress."

"Enough," the Hokage intervened in a sharp tone. "I did not call you here to make assumptions. I called you here to assign tasks and missions to you to ensure Konoha's safety during the Chuunin exams. We are not going to impute a betrayal to Sunagakure and the Kazekage. But that does not mean we cannot prepare for the worst."

Kakashi quietly listened as the Hokage presented his plans to involve more Jounin into the Chuunin exams. He sighed. It looked like he was going to end up as a helper for the Chuunin exams after all. Being a teacher for a Genin team was enough for him. He didn't need to participate in an exam with even more Genin.

Jiraiya's eyes were on him. But Kakashi was quite sure that the he wasn't interested in him but in information on Naruto. So he quickly left when the meeting was over. If Jiraiya wanted to learn about Naruto, he would have to do it personally.

* * *

When the Chuunin exams were finally there, Naruto found himself having mixed feelings. He secretly hoped the exam would go horribly wrong for both Sasuke and Sakura. But especially for Sasuke. He couldn't stand the thought that Sasuke might potentially become a Chuunin and be higher in the standings than him. Officially better.

But Naruto also didn't want this to be the end of Team 7 yet. He wanted them to spend the rest of their first Genin year together, like they'd been meant to, as equals.

But all the sulking and grumpy thoughts eventually got overshadowed by Naruto's usual excitement. Because the Chuunin exams weren't only exams. They were festivities. Konoha turned into one big street festival, with markets and food stalls on the streets.

Naruto never thought much of festivals. If anything, he disliked them. They had always showed him how lonely he actually was. Everyone was out on the streets with their families and friends, except for him.

But times had changed, and now that he had someone to spend the festivities with, he was looking forward to catching up on all those fun times he'd missed. Sakura and Sasuke would be busy with their exams, but he still had Naho.

Naruto walked down the streets of the festival, people left and right. He was on his way to pick up Naho, walk around town a bit before meeting up with Sasuke and Sakura to wish them good luck on the first day. His eyes were already checking out all the food him and Naho could try.

"Careful! Watch your step!" someone suddenly yelled at him. But Naruto hadn't crashed into anyone. They'd bumped into him.

He turned his heads sideways, and spotted Ino. She was with her family, or at least that's what Naruto thought. He only recognised her father, who was well-known in Konoha. But their group was much bigger, and most of them shared the same blond hair and green eyes. Naruto quickly figured out they were celebrating Ino's participation in the Chuunin exams. She was the centre of attention, and her father was proudly boasting about her to some of the other people.

"Oh, it's Naruto." Ino raised her eyebrows at him, while thinking of something mean to say. She soon found something, and a big grin formed on her lips. "Sakura told me you weren't allowed to participate in the exams. Can't say I'm surprised; you were always the idiot in our class. Some things just never change. I just wonder why they still let you wear that Konoha headband at all."

Naruto was ready to fight back, but then his eyes got stuck on one of the women in Ino's group. Her hair was darker than Ino's, but it was equally long. Somehow, she reminded Naruto of someone, but he couldn't quite figure out who she was.

"You should be nicer to your former classmates, Ino," the woman softly said, realising Naruto was staring at her.

Naruto looked away. He didn't need anyone making fun of him for staring at adult women. But her voice, it also reminded him of someone. It sounded familiar.

Ino laughed. "Don't worry, auntie. Naruto doesn't care. He's used to it." Ino turned away from him again. She'd lost interest in mocking him already. Making fun of Naruto had been one of the easier ways to get the attention and approval of the rest of their classmates during the Academy. But it was different with her family, Ino quickly realised.

Naruto chewed on his lip, wondering if he should still pick a fight with Ino, despite her obviously not caring about him anymore and being surrounded by adults.

"Are you all alone here?" the woman asked. Her voice wasn't mocking him like Ino's was. She seemed to genuinely be interested.

Naruto appreciated the question. It gave him the opportunity to announce that he, in fact, was not alone at all but was meeting with friends. To his dismay, Ino still couldn't care less and was busy ordering fresh drinks for everyone with her father. But at least the woman smiled and nodded, and Naruto could move on without the feeling of humiliation Ino had tried to sow.

* * *

Naruto and Naho were on their way to the exam's building, both still munching on sweets, when they met a team of Suna shinobi.

Naruto immediately recognised them. Or at least one of them. The red hair gave Gaara away.

"Hey, you think that guy is the Kazekage's son? I heard he has red hair. He must be really excited to come and visit Konoha. Come on, let's say hi." Naruto grabbed Naho's hand and pulled her along. Naho lost a dango on her way, but Naruto barely noticed in all the excitement he felt.

"You are Gaara, right?" Naruto stopped in front of the three Sand shinobi. Naho quietly eyed the red-haired boy from behind him.

"Yes. I am Gaara of the Sand. Who wants to know?" Gaara spoke in a calm manner.

Naruto put on a big grin and pointed at himself, saying, "I am Naruto Namikaze! Son of the 4th Hokage and future Hokage. You and I have a lot in common, don't we? You are the Kazekage's son, right?"

A spark of interest ignited in their eyes as Naruto announced he was the Hokage's son.

Naho grabbed his hand and pulled him back. "I thought you weren't supposed to tell strangers," she whispered.

"Huh? But Gaara and I are basically family. His grandfather was a Hokage too." Naruto was talking loud enough for the other Genin to hear. He took some quick steps towards Gaara.

Temari and Kankuro instantly put a hand onto their weapons, ready to draw them any moment. But Gaara only stared back at Naruto's face that was right in front of his. No muscles even twitched.

"So you are also participating in the Chuunin exams?" Gaara asked.

"I uh… I don't."

"Are you a Chuunin yet?" Temari asked.

"No…" Naruto scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.

"A Jounin?" She now smirked at him, realising Naruto was none of those.

"I'm sure that guy is not even a Genin yet." Kankuro joined in as well. "Just look at him. Whose Kage's son are you again? The Kage of the Village of Losers?"

"What?!" The smile on Naruto's face vanished. Instead, he rose his fist at Kankuro. Naruto's feelings about his father had always been rather complicated. Usually they fluctuated somewhere between pride that his father had been a Hokage and bitterness that he'd sealed a demon in him. Still, despite the latter feelings, attacks on his father always rubbed Naruto the wrong way.

"You want to come at me?" Kankuro said, further stinging him.

Naruto wasn't going to let him ask a second time, and charged at Kankuro with his fist raised high into the air. Kankuro jumped back, also ready to show the two Konoha Genin his weapon.

"Stop it, Kankuro." Gaara immediately intervened in a harsh tone. "You are an embarrassment for our village. I'd rather see you dead than have you pick meaningless fights with Konoha Genin."

Kankuro immediately dropped what he was doing and returned to Gaara's side, apologising. There was fear on his face. Temari too apologised for his behaviour. They then turned around and left.

"What idiots!" Naruto pouted. "Good thing I scared them away!"

Naho sighed, shaking her head. They continued to the exam's building.

* * *

"Have you seen Sakura anywhere?" was the first thing Sasuke said to Naho and Naruto once they found him in front of the exam's building. Their first test was to be held there in the afternoon, but a lot of Genin had already met up in front of it. Some of them were carrying papers and flashcards with notes, in case there would be a written test. Others sparred their friends to warm up their bodies.

His question surprised Naruto. "Isn't she here yet?" Sakura was never late.

"I haven't found her yet. She kept bugging me about meeting earlier to prepare and now she doesn't show up," he complained. "Kakashi's still nowhere to be found either, but that was to be expected."

Just as Sasuke spoke his name, Kakashi appeared next to them, greeting them with one hand and a "yo". But he too was surprised to find Sakura absent.

"Maybe she decided she wanted to take the exam with me after all." Naruto casually put his hands behind his head and threw a dirty grin at Sasuke. He enjoyed seeing him a bit nervous.

"Mh, I wanted to introduce you two to your new teammate soon." Kakashi looked around, but Sakura was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe she overslept?" Naho asked. It wasn't really an explanation they thought plausible. But they still decided to check Sakura's home and ask her parents.

It didn't take long before the four of them stood in front of Sakura's house. Before Naruto could even knock at the door, it opened, and Sakura came stumbling outside.

"Come back, Sakura! You are not going!" Her mother's voice yelled behind her.

"I am, mother!" Sakura attempted to yell back, but her voice was no more than a creak. She turned around to find her teammates standing in front of her.

They looked at her in surprise, shock almost. Sakura's hair was undone, all over the place. Her nose was red, so were her eyes. She looked like she'd been crying for hours, but all the snot she had to sniff back up her nose told a different story.

"Are you sick?" Naho asked, but Sakura immediately waved the idea away.

Her mother arrived in the door as well, a cup of tea and medicine in her hands. "Please, sir, don't let my daughter attend those exams like this. She has a fever. She looks awful," she said in Kakashi's direction.

"Mom!" Sakura wanted to protest but there was barely any sound leaving her throat. "I'm feeling fine, really."

"What? I'm not doing these exams with a walking corpse." Sasuke now spoke up. He looked at his teammate with disgust, a look that cut deep into Sakura's heart. "… a corpse that's coughing out bacteria every two seconds." He turned to Kakashi, his eyes full of expectation. He was waiting for his teacher to fix this. To give him someone else.

But Kakashi only put a finger to his lips, thinking. "Well, I'm not sure we'll still find someone to take Sakura's place. The exam will start in a few hours. Teams are already locked. There's barely any time to appeal for a change of teammates left, and even less time to actually find those teammates."

"Are you saying…?" Sasuke frowned, but Naruto's face lit up.

Kakashi only shrugged. Sakura again tried to convince them she was feeling good enough to take an exam. But all this time, she'd held back a cough, and it had gotten worse and worse, tickling and scratching in her throat, until she couldn't hold it back any longer. She coughed, and coughed, feeling like every cough she'd held back now came out twice as strong.

"Come on, Sakura. Not even _I _would try and participate in those exams looking like this!" Naruto said.

"But… if I don't participate, Sasuke can't either…"

"Yeah, that's too bad for him." Naruto grinned at his teammate.

Naho carefully listened to the conversation around her, watched as Sakura's mother dragged her daughter back inside to go back to bed. And right before Kakashi could tell everyone to go home again, she made a decision.

"I could join for Sakura."

* * *

Kakashi and Naho walked to the exam building together to sign Naho up in Sakura's stead. Neither of them said anything until Kakashi eventually decided it was his job to talk to her, make sure this decision was wanted.

"A week ago, you wanted to quit being a shinobi." He observed her reaction, but there was none. "Are you sure you want to participate in the Chuunin exams now?"

She stopped. "Kakashi-sensei… have you gotten used to killing people?"

He looked down at her, glad a mask hid his face. "At some point, I stopped thinking about it. So yes, I guess I got used to it."

"Don't you ever feel bad? Like, do you just not feel anything when you are fighting another shinobi?"

Kakashi turned away from her. He didn't like that this was now about himself. But he knew he couldn't dodge this question. "Fighting is no conscious decision. You might think so right now, but eventually, your body will move on its own, fight for itself. Because everyone wants to survive. It's instinct. Or like a dance someone performed so many times you know it by heart. You can kill people without having to think much about it, without having to feel the impact. But what you do after the fight is over… that's a different story."

Naho slowly nodded.

He quickly changed the topic when he realised his answer seemed to suffice. "You know you don't have to do this just for Sasuke, right? He'll survive waiting for the next exams."

"I'm not doing this for Sasuke," she quickly answered. "I'm doing this for myself."

Kakashi didn't quite understand. A week ago he had to convince her to even stay a Genin, and now she wanted to become a Chuunin.

"When I came to Konoha, I wanted to become a shinobi, I really did. My parents they… they were killed by some robbers, just normal men. They weren't shinobi. And I'm sure even a Genin would have been able to stop them. So I wanted to become a shinobi and came here. But then… It all seemed so hard and pointless. Because my parents were dead anyway."

Kakashi carefully listened.

"I wanted to quit years ago, but the orphanage wouldn't allow it. They said I had to make myself useful somehow, to the village, so I kept going. And now… I have Team 7. I can't just stand by and watch them become Chuunin. And maybe Jounin afterwards. They'll go on completely different missions than me. They'll risk their life. And I won't be there. If anything happened to them while I sit around and do Genin missions…"

Part of Kakashi was proud of his student's words. A shinobi was always supposed to put their teammates first, care for their safety. But there was also a much darker feeling inside of him. He couldn't quite name it. Anxiety, fear. Because he knew that sometimes, your best effort wasn't enough to save someone's life. No matter how much you cared. "There will always be death," he told Naho. "Both on the enemy's side, as well as yours."

"I still want to give my best."

Kakashi nodded, and they continued towards the exam's building.

* * *

Their third member turned out to be a girl from the Aburame clan, Rei. All of Team 7, with the exception of Kakashi, immediately compared her to Shino since they were from the same clan. But except for a random bug sitting on her shoulder or crawling up her hair, Rei was nothing like Shino. She had hazelnut brown hair and an outgoing attitude with a warm smile on her lips.

Rei was two years older than Sasuke and Naho, but it was her first time taking the exams as well. "My two teammates both took it right after their first Genin year. But I didn't really feel ready yet," she explained to them. "I wasn't even sure if I really wanted to become a Chuunin, but my mom kept going on and on how Shino is already taking the exams this year as well. I can't get beat by my little cousin, can I?" she laughed.

Naho and Naruto both instantly took a liking to her. She was like a mix of both Sakura and Naho, always nice and friendly but still outgoing with a strong voice.

Kakashi too could see this team working out. Only Sasuke was not happy. He stood next to them with crossed arms and a frown. Somehow he'd hoped for another boy, someone who was considered a prodigy like him. He wasn't looking forward to being responsible for two girls. But at least he got to participate at all, so he held back his complaints.

Team 17, that was the new number they'd been assigned. The first exam soon started, and Sasuke, Naho and Rei vanished inside the building.

Naruto was left outside with Kakashi. He looked up at his teacher. "So, are we waiting here for them?"

Kakashi pulled out his book. "Nope, this is going to take a few hours."

"Hey, where are you going?" Naruto ran after his teacher. "Are you going to the festival, Kakashi-sensei? Because we could go together."

His teacher waved the thought away and explained he had more important matters to attend to. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

* * *

Again, Naruto walked over the festival in Konoha all alone, while everyone else was having a good time around him. All he could hope was that Sasuke and Naho didn't have fun taking that exam either. And Sakura was so sick she couldn't even take said exam. He really couldn't really blame them. Yet this was nothing he'd hoped for. He'd had expectations.

He bought some sweets, but then decided he wasn't really in the mood for sweets.

He tried a game of darts next, but it seemed rather pointless when he couldn't share his perfect throws with anyone.

Then, Naruto got an idea. If his teammates couldn't come to him, he would come to them. Or at least to Sakura. There was this vague idea in Naruto's head that someone ought to bring food to a friend who's sick. He wasn't exactly sure if that really was a thing, but he liked to believe it was. He definitely would be happy if someone brought him food while he was sick.

So Naruto walked past the stalls, wondering what he should get for Sakura. Hearty meals seemed unfit. Sweets Sakura didn't like.

"Can I help you?" a soft voice asked from behind him.

Naruto turned around to find the Yamanaka woman again, Ino's aunt. She was smiling down at him. He wasn't sure why she would talk to him, yet alone offer his help. But he still decided to take it.

"I'm looking for a present for a sick friend. She's got a cold and I want to visit her."

"Tea is always a good choice when someone's sick."

"That's what I thought too at first, but… if I buy tea now, it'll be cold until I'm there. Or maybe I'll spill some."

The woman laughed. "Why don't you buy dried tea then? She can brew it herself whenever she wants."

Not once in Naruto's life had be bought tea. He'd drank tea at Ichiraku's and other restaurants. He'd seen other people drink it, had bought a bottle of sweetened tea at the market, but he had never bought dried tea. "Where do I buy that?"

The woman realised that he was rather clueless and offered to show him a good tea shop in the village. It was one of those shops that had always completely escaped Naruto's attention. At first glance, he thought they sold spices, not tea. On second glance, he noticed they actually sold both.

The woman helped Naruto pick a tea for Sakura, explaining to him which herbs were good against colds. Naruto greatly appreciated her help.

When they left the tea shop, Iruka was standing in front. He happily greeted Naruto.

"You bought a present?" Iruka asked, pointing at the wrapped up tea.

Naruto nodded. "It's for Sakura-chan. She's got a cold. Have you been to this shop before, Iruka-sensei? I never knew there are so many different kinds of tea! It's huge! But fortunately, I got help from –" Naruto turned to the woman, just to find she was gone. "Eh, that's weird. Where did she go?" He looked around but couldn't find her. She'd vanished.

* * *

Sakura's mother opened the door when Naruto knocked. She looked down at him with a frown. "What do you want?"

Naruto remembered that she didn't exactly like him. And it made him nervous to talk to her.

"I wanted to give this to Sakura…" he started. "It's echi…echina…echina…," he realised he'd forgotten the name. "It's tea, one that's really good against colds. It's also…" He tried to remember the word the woman had used. "Anti-inflammatory… or something like that. Anyway, it's good when you have a cold!"

Sakura's mother didn't move a bit. "Sakura can't see any visitors right now. You know she's sick. She needs sleep." Her voice was so full of reproach that Naruto started regretting coming to Sakura's house and bringing tea.

His eyes dropped to the little wrapped gift in his hands.

Sakura's mother too looked at the gift, then again at the sad face of the boy standing in front of her. She sighed, and her attitude suddenly changed, like she'd remembered that Naruto was Sakura's friend, and that she ought to give him a chance. "Sakura's asleep right now; I'd rather not wake her because she needs rest," she explained again in a nicer tone. Her eyes too now fell on the gift. "I can give this to her if you want. Or you can come back later."

Naruto considered for a moment. He wanted to see Sakura. He wanted to not be alone. In his head, he'd pictured himself giving her the tea, and Sakura being all grateful. But Naruto knew it was selfish to think like that. The most important part was that Sakura got better again. So he handed it to her mother.

"Make sure to tell her it's from Naruto, her teammate."

Sakura's mother nodded and gave Naruto a short smile before going back inside again.

Naruto watched the door close in front of him.

* * *

The first exam turned out to be a mere written test, covering everything they had learned in the Academy, as well as additional knowledge they had been supposed to acquire during their Genin years.

Naho was not happy with the results. She'd been unprepared, given that she hadn't even known she had been supposed to be prepared half a day prior. Still, they passed somehow and moved on to the part of the exam which, according to Rei, was much more interesting.

They met at noon for the second exam, two days after the first one, in front of the Forest of Death. Naruto was there too, but Kakashi and Sakura were both missing. Sakura was still sick, and Kakashi seemed to have work to do.

"When my teammates took the exam, they had to get two different scrolls, and each team started out with one. I wonder what kind of test it is this year," Rei said while they all waited for the announcement from the proctor.

Naho didn't feel too good going into a "forest of death", but she'd heard from other Genin that it wasn't all that deadly. At least not for shinobi. You could find exploding plants and oversized animals but other than that, it was no more than a forest.

They stood close to the other Genin from their year. Tenten rose a thumb in Naho's direction while sitting on top of Lee's back who was doing sit-ups to steel his body for this next test. Neji's eyes glanced at Hinata, who in returned glanced at Naruto. Kiba could tell that his teammate wanted to go over and wish Naruto good luck, but she was too shy. Ino's team participated too. She dropped a few snarky remarks in Naruto's direction about him and Sakura not taking part before putting on a much sweeter voice to talk to Sasuke. Naruto growled at the attention Sasuke received from her.

The Genin were lively talking with each other when Genma stepped up to begin his speech.

"Just like every year, we are happy to hold the Chuunin exams together with Sunagakure," he spoke in a bored tone, which didn't quite convey the happiness he was talking about. "And just like every year, we would like to remind everyone that while you might fight against the other teams in this next round, we are still all fellow shinobi and allies. That means, we do not want to see unnecessary killing. Going into the next stage, all of you will put their lives on the line, just like you would on a real mission. And likewise, you should be ready to kill others for the success of your mission. But, just like on real missions, you should carefully consider whether a death is really necessary. Unnecessary bloodshed is not wanted, neither here nor during missions. We will not bat an eye if someone dies during a fight, or if someone accidentally steps into a trap. But beware that deaths will get looked into, and should we find out that a death was not directly connected to the success of the mission that you will be given in a minute… you will be disqualified."

Naho could only wonder what had happened in prior missions for them to put such an emphasis on this topic. She wasn't quite sure whether this speech was supposed to reassure her or make her more nervous.

"Now, to the mission… Your mission will be to bring one of these hostages to the tower in the middle of the Forest of Death. You should all have gotten a map. It's on there." A group of shinobi stepped up next to him. They all had their hands tight up behind their backs. Cloaks and scarves covered most of their bodies and faces. It was obvious they tried to hide their identity, though apparently it wasn't important enough to use a transformation jutsu. Yet Naho was quite sure that one of them was their own teacher. His tired eyes and lazy posture were hard to overlook. Part of her immediately hoped that Kakashi would be their hostage.

"These hostages will not speak to you nor try to escape during your mission. They will passively watch, and will not interfere with anything. Each hostage has their own name tag which I will shortly hand out to you. The hostage follows the person wearing the tag. So if someone manages to sneakily steal the tag, the hostage will follow the thief. However, only every second team starts out with a hostage. The other teams are given a sixty-minute head start into the Forest of Death. Sixty minutes to prepare for your mission. The mission is to acquire one of the hostages by acquiring their tags from another team, and safely bring them to the tower. Those of you who start out with a hostage, your mission is to, obviously, safely bring the hostage to the tower."

"Isn't this unfair? The teams that start out with a hostage seem to be at an advantage here," one of the Genin complained.

"Missions are not fair," Genma immediately snapped back at him. "One of the first things you should learn when becoming a Chuunin is to shut up and stop complaining." He picked up a little box and approached one team after the other, letting fate decide whether they would start with a hostage or not.

Rei picked one of the small papers for their team. They started with a hostage.

"Just a short note before we start. If your hostage might ever get into a situation that forces them to act in order to not die… or even worse, should they actually die, you will be disqualified. Obviously, we don't want to lose good shinobi because you little brats are unable to keep them alive out there. Therefore, they will act to save their own life in dire situations. But don't think they won't tell us of your failure afterwards. You better make their safety your top priority. You have 24 hours. Anyone who's not at the tower tomorrow at noon has failed."

One of the hostages approached team 17. He gave them a short nod and coughed. Naho read the name tag he handed to her, "hostage 4" it read.

"That's a nice name you got there, Four." Rei grinned at him, but he didn't answer, only coughed once more.

"Do you have a cold too?" Naho asked.

"They really take that 'no talking' seriously, huh?" Rei said when their hostage kept his silence.

Naruto crossed his arms as his brows moved further together. "This is such an easy test. As if I wouldn't have managed to bring this coughing guy to that tower," he loudly announced.

Sasuke only smirked.

"Also, one last thing…" Genma too had a pleased grin on his face. "To pass, you will need to safely bring one hostage to the tower. But in case a team shall bring two or even more hostage… there _will _be bonus points. And sometimes passing an exam is not enough to actually be promoted." This last part, to Genma, was the most exciting part of the exam. It showed which teams were ready to take risks, which teams played it safe, which teams would know their own limits. Taking a hostage to a tower was easy enough for Genin, even if the tower was in the Forest of Death. But Genma wanted to see more than a simple run through the forest. He wanted to see the Genin battle it out.

The teams were already being accompanied to their starting points, when suddenly, Sakura came running at them, waving and shouting at Naho and Sasuke.

"I'm so glad I made it in time." She was out of breath, her cheeks red.

"Are you not ill anymore, Sakura-chan?" Naruto's face lit up. The last two days, Sasuke and Naho had spent all their time training with Rei.

She sneezed. "Almost, I guess. Here, I have a gift for you. To wish you good luck." Sakura held a little book out to Sasuke and Naho. She smiled at Naho, but then her eyes stayed on Sasuke, hopeful to spot some gratitude in his eyes.

"What's that?" Naruto asked, eying the little book.

"It's a guide on plants and mushrooms. There's quite a bit of rare flora in the Forest of Death, but it should all be included in here."

"Thank you, that's so nice of you!" Naho said when she realised Sasuke wasn't going to.

Naruto bit his lips. Had he been supposed to get them something too? His hands frantically searched his pockets for anything remotely useful. He found a bar of chocolate.

Sasuke snorted as Naruto handed the chocolate bar to Naho, acting like he'd bought it specifically for her.

"Good thing I didn't get one for you, Sasuke. Seems you wouldn't appreciate it anyway," Naruto said with a sulking face.

Sakura and Naruto said goodbye to their two teammates and Rei, wishing them all the best luck in their exam.

"Ah man, I didn't know we were going to give them gifts. You could have warned me, Sakura-chan," Naruto said once they were gone.

"Well, you might have inspired me a bit," Sakura casually said, trying her best not to give Naruto too much credit.

Naruto couldn't quite understand.

"The tea you gave me. That was really nice of you, so I thought I should do something nice too," she nonchalantly talked past Naruto, before giving him a short smile. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto once again scratched his head in embarrassment. But before he could decide what to say, Sakura was already on her way back to Konoha. She turned back to him when she realised he wasn't coming yet.

"So are you taking me home or not?" she yelled back in an overly grumpy tone so Naruto wouldn't get any wrong ideas from her being nice.

Naruto ran after her, nodding. Together they decided to take a little detour over the festivals.

* * *

Naho looked at a snake vanishing into undergrowth. She was glad they hadn't met any giant tigers or bears yet.

They moved rather slow; cautiousness was much more important than speed. Everything around them was quiet, except for the occasional bird songs and coughing from their hostage.

Rei sighed. "Really, why did we have to get the coughing hostage? This is such a disadvantage."

The man threw a dark glance at her, and the three Genin realised they shouldn't be complaining in front of the guy mainly deciding whether they will pass or not.

"What are we going to do if we meet another team?" Naho asked.

"We should still be fairly safe out here. I'm sure most teams set their traps closer to the tower." Sasuke was walking in front of them, skimming through the guide Sakura had given them.

Rei smiled at Naho. She held out her hand and two bugs crawled out from her sleeve. "Don't worry. I'll send these guys out once we are closer to the tower. They'll help us spot enemies." She then caught up to Sasuke and looked over his shoulder. "Anything interesting in there? Oh hey, I know that one there. Flammable moss, right? One little spark and wooosh!" She threw her hands in the air to pantomiming an explosion. "You two know fire jutsu, right? You better be careful where you use it in this forest."

Sasuke thrust the book into her hand and walked faster to get distance between himself and the girl again. Rei was too much of a chatterbox for his liking.

A sudden sound startled Sasuke. He immediately signalled the others to stop and be quiet. They carefully listened for any nearby teams. But all was quiet, even their hostage.

"Weird, I thought I'd heard something." Sasuke put the kunai away again.

But before he could turn towards his teammates, there was a strange voice, right next to him, whispering into his ear. "Maybe it was me."

Sasuke immediately jumped away. How he hadn't noticed someone standing right next to him he didn't know.

A woman stood in front of them, long brown hair. She wore Sunagakure's headband. "I'm glad I was able to find you this fast."

Sasuke looked around, wondering where her teammates were hiding, but he couldn't spot them.

Naho and Rei stood next to their hostage, ready to defend him. This time, Naho was determined to give it her all.

The woman licked her lips. Her tongue was grotesquely long, almost like that of a snake. "Let's hope you were worth the long journey."

A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine, but he barely had time to be appalled. The woman attacked him, faster than he'd expected. Only in the last moment did he manage to dodge by activating his Sharingan and jumping upwards. He still wasn't proficient in the use of his eyes yet. Kakashi had given him those kinds of vague tips he always gave his students. But the Sharingan was Sasuke's pride, the bloodline of this family, and ever since he'd awoken it, he devoted a big part of his training time to its mastery. It made his eyes and reflexes sharper, yet it wasn't enough for this fight. Sasuke kicked down at her, trying to prevent her from approaching his team. But the woman was gone already.

Naho had a hard time even following their enemy's movements.

"Those movements…" their hostage suddenly spoke. He watched the fight between Sasuke and the strange woman with big eyes.

"Hey, I thought you weren't supposed to talk!" Rei immediately threw back at him.

The fight between Sasuke and the unknown woman continued, but not for long. Sasuke could not keep up with her movement and she was soon right in front of him, her face only inches away from his. Sasuke just so managed to duck away before she could lick his neck.

"What the…?" He landed next to his teammates. "Who are you?"

"Just some Genin from Sunagakure." She smiled. "I'm impressed you can use the Sharingan. But I would expect nothing less from the brother of Itachi Uchiha."

"Itachi Uchiha?" Naho looked at Sasuke, who clearly recognised the name. It sounded familiar to her too, but she couldn't quite pin it down.

"You know my brother?"

"Certainly. Who doesn't know the man who slaughtered his whole clan, the only exception being his little brother?" Suddenly, the woman was right next to Sasuke again, and once again whispered in his ear. "A little bird has told be you are seeking revenge. Why don't you let me help you with that, Sasuke?"

Sasuke swung a kunai at her, but she was gone again before he was even close to hitting.

"Are you seeking power? Because I can give you power."

"Just, _who are you_?" he yelled at her.

The woman laughed, wailed like a banshee, before saying, "Do you want me to show you what kind of power I am talking about?" Within seconds, the woman was behind Rei. She placed her hands on the girl's head, just slow enough so everyone around her could follow the movements. She snapped, twisting Rei's neck in an unnatural way. There was the sound of bone breaking. And then Rei fell to the ground.

Naho stared at her teammate. Her mind couldn't quite comprehend yet what had just happened.

"Watch out!" Sasuke yelled at her as the woman was going for Naho next. He grabbed her arm, pulled her behind him to defend her.

The man playing their hostage had seen enough. Before the woman from Sunagakure could attack the two Genin, he drew a sword from under his cloak and dashed between them.

"I thought you were told not to intervene." The woman smirked again.

"Answer his question. Who are you?" the shinobi calmly said, sword raised at her.

Naho still couldn't believe her eyes. They'd told them death was a possibility during the Chuunin exams. But it was nothing that was supposed to happen. Not this fast. She reached out to Sasuke and held onto his shirt. This woman was capable of killing them both with ease.

"I told you, I'm just a Genin from Sunagakure."

"State your name. Your movements are clearly not Genin level. I'm disqualifying you for unnecessary killing."

Again, the woman laughed hysterically. "It seems like I'll have to have some fun with you first before I can have a nice little chat with Sasuke again."

"What do you want from me?" Sasuke asked, but he didn't move away from the shinobi still guarding them. He too had realised they didn't stand much chance without him.

"I just want to talk," she said, but the shinobi already went into the offensive.

A fight ensued, one that seemed rather close at first. During the fight, the scarf their hostage wore around their face fell off. Naho and Sasuke recognised the Konoha shinobi. It was a Jounin, Hayate.

There were mixed feelings among Sasuke and Naho. On the one hand, they felt quite safe knowing one of their Jounin was there to defend them. But the fact that this other shinobi was able to keep up with a Jounin terrified them more than anything. So much Sasuke didn't even complain that Naho was holding onto him tightly.

They became more hopeful when it looked like Hayate was about to win. He was faster than the woman. His sword kept slicing at her, only missing by a small margin. He repeated this before finally changing his tactic. He managed to trap the woman in a wooden cage.

A feeling of relief spread in Naho and she could feel her muscles relax for just a bit. But the feeling didn't last long. An immense snake suddenly broke out from the ground beneath Hayate. He dodged the snake's attempt to eat him whole, but the Suna shinobi used the opportunity to form the signs for a fire jutsu. It burned through the cage, something he apparently hadn't thought possible, and hit Hayate. His cloak caught fire. He ripped the fabric away from him, but the motion left him open to more attacks.

The woman got a hold of his sword, and managed pierce it straight through his belly.

"Run," Hayate gasped into Sasuke and Naho's direction, slowly crouching over while fighting the pain.

The woman pulled the sword out again. Blood came pouring with it.

"Come one," Sasuke grabbed Naho's wrist and pulled her away from the fight, but she didn't budge.

She stared at him with big, scared eyes. "What about him?"

"If we don't run now, we are dead." Again, he pulled at her. This time, Naho's feet reluctantly moved to follow him.

They ran away while Hayate still tried his best to fight the mysterious Sand woman. But the big snake immediately turned to follow them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hi there :)
> 
> Thanks for reading this far, I appreciate it!
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story. I was really looking forward to writing the Chuunin exams. Absolutely didn't think it'd take me a 100k words to get there though, haha!
> 
> Also figured I'd start writing some author notes at the end of each chapter to talk more about some of the changes I made (just in case anyone's interested) and why I made them.
> 
> Since the tailed beasts are supposed to be an actual threat here, I thought it made sense that Naruto wouldn't be allowed to participate at this point. But don't worry, him and Sakura will definitely still be present in the next chapter!
> 
> The Gaara in this AU is also related to Hashirama (his grandson). This isn't too important for the story, but I tried having the characters a bit more "connected" and felt it made sense that Konoha would strengthen their alliances to other villages via marriage. Gaara's red hair gave me the idea that he might be partially an Uzumaki. I think it adds some depth to his background!
> 
> Also just a short reminder that Combined Nature Transformation is not a bloodline in this AU. I think I mentioned this at the beginning, but it hasn't really been a thing in the story so far. Definitely in the distant future though. I like being able to give characters without bloodlines (like the Sharingan, Byakugan, Kimimaro's ability, etc.) the opportunity to achieve something special via hard work, which in this case is Combine Nature Release. But since Hashirama was so known for his Wood Release, I wanted to still keep that notion and made his Wood Release more special. Basically normal Wood Release can only produce "dead wood", whereas Hashirama could actually make living trees and flowers, due to being a Senju and his bloodline. Really not important since he's dead anyway, but I just felt like sharing. :)
> 
> Have a nice day!


	20. The Chuunin Exams - Part 2

Kakashi sighed. He didn't appreciate that the Hokage liked assigning him to Jinchuuriki cases. Sure, he had the Sharingan, but there was no way to tell if he would actually know how to use it in case of an emergency. After all, he'd been fortunate enough that he'd never had to try it out. But now he was stuck with three Sunagakure Genin, one of which was the son of the Kazekage and the Jinchuuriki of the onetail.

He carefully observed the three. Temari, Kankuro, Gaara. All three were the Kazekage's children, but only Gaara was the son of Hanako, Rasa's deceased wife. It showed in their team dynamic. Gaara was their leader. His word was law. But Kakashi wasn't quite sure if it was out of respect. His half-siblings looked almost scared of him.

They moved awfully slow, but there was also plenty of time. It bored Kakashi more than anything, walking through the forest with a bunch of Genin. The Hokage had told them that other activities such as reading books was not allowed during the exams, throwing a special look at Kakashi. The identity of the hostages was supposed to stay hidden; the role of the hostages was no more than a passive observer.

Kankuro snorted. "The Chuunin exams of Konoha sure are easy. Our Academy students could pass this."

Kakashi felt like his statement was directed at him, but he ignored it. They kept on walking on the forest floor like they were taking a stroll in the park.

They heard the crackling of wood, and the sudden groaning of the forest as somehow, somewhere, it sounded like a whole tree had fallen over.

"It looks like there is a fight ahead. Should we have a look?" Temari looked at Gaara, who quietly nodded. "I can stay here and watch over our hostage if you like."

Gaare shook his head. "He can come too. He'll make a good bait."

Kakashi quietly followed his team. Maybe he would at least get to watch a somewhat interesting fight between the Genin, maybe even get some information on Gaara and his abilities, his usage of the onetail.

The fight had stopped by the time they arrived. There were two dead bodies lying on the ground.

"Is that a dead hostage?" Temari asked, looking at one of the dead bodies.

A shiver ran down Kakashi's spine. This was Sasuke and Naho's team.

He looked at Rei. Her neck was broken. Then walked over to Hayate. Dead as well. It was obvious there had been a fight, a fight Hayate participated in. Kakashi wondered what had driven him to abandon his role as passive observer, what had killed him.

Kankuro laughed. "Who's that, a Konoha Chuunin? I expected more of the shinobi here. How can one of them die during a Chuunin exam?"

Kakashi ignored his mockery. He inspected Hayate's body instead. There was something written on his lower arm, a last message from Hayate, written in blood. _Snake_. He quickly brushed the message away. The blood was still fresh.

The three Genin from Sunagakure were not supposed to see it.

He stood up again, observed their behaviour. Hayate's message only confirmed what Jiraiya had already warned them of. Orochimaru and Sunagakure were somehow affiliated. And whatever they were plotting, it led to the death of a Jounin. But it was hard to tell if the three kids knew anything about this. Them being the children of the Kazekage sure made them suspicious. But they looked clueless as to what had happened to Hayate's team.

"I'm sorry, I will have to report this back to the Hokage. This is a death that needs investigation." Kakashi broke his silence. His eyes scanned the surroundings, hoping to find a clue on Naho and Sasuke's whereabouts. And especially, a clue telling him they were alive.

Temari's eyes widened. "But the exam is still continuing, right?"

He nodded. Kakashi was in no position to cancel the exams over this death. All he could do was to report back and continue his job as a hostage. He summoned Pakkun and sent him to the Hokage.

Kakashi kept his eyes open for Sasuke and Naho as they continued their journey towards the tower. They eventually entered the inner ring, in which traps became more and more common. Gaara hardly cared about any traps, and Kakashi soon had one of his abilities figured out. Sand protected him. Gaara walked in front of them, carelessly stepping into any trap that was on their way, triggering them all. But no matter if there was an explosion or kunai flying at him. He never dodged. A shield of sand formed around him, instantly, on its own. It was like the sand had its own mission, to protect Gaara at all cost.

There'd been no sign of his own Genin. Instead, they met another team of Sunagakure Genin. They ran as soon as they saw that it was Gaara who'd set their traps off.

They met a team from Konohagakure next. Naturally, they told the Sand shinobi to hand Kakashi and his tag over.

Gaara's sand broke the arm of the girl on their team. When her teammate attacked, he broke both his arm and leg. The sand smashed their limbs until cracking sounds filled the air and blood splashed in all directions. They tried to run, but Gaara's sand caught them, smashed more limbs. Screams echoed through the forest.

"Stop it," Kakashi finally broke his silence for a second time. He'd seen enough. "Mindlessly tormenting the other teams is no different from killing them without reason. One more and I'll disqualify you on the spot."

Gaara grinned at him, but dropped his hand and continued walking as if nothing ever happened. Temari and Kankuro quietly followed after him, their eyes fixed on the ground. Kakashi finally understood why they were scared of their half-brother.

And while part of him hoped to find his two Genin in the forest, the other part prayed Naho and Sasuke would stay away from the Kazekage's son.

* * *

Sasuke and Naho were still speeding through the Forest of Death, jumping from branch to branch, further and further into the depths of the forest. They couldn't be sure if they were still being followed. There was no time to look backwards. But they could feel that the mad woman was still on their track. They were the prey, and they were being hunted.

Something suddenly snapped beneath their feet, and the branch they'd stepped on exploded into flames. Naho and Sasuke both dodged into different directions. Nets rained down at them from above. Sasuke, having his Sharingan activated, managed to be fast enough to use a Fire Jutsu and burn them down. Naho got caught in them.

Three shinobi stepped out from their hiding spots, happy someone had stepped into their trap. They wore the Konoha headbands, but neither Naho nor Sasuke knew their names.

"Give us your hostage," one of them demanded.

"We don't have one," Sasuke replied.

"Don't bullshit us. You are clearly coming from the entrance, a lot later than us. Where is your third teammate with the hostage?" He looked around, somewhat nervous. "If you don't tell us, we'll cut her ear off." He grabbed Naho, threatening her with a kunai.

"I told you, we don't have one. We lost our hostage to another team. You guys better run before they come here." Sasuke wondered if there was safety in numbers, and if these other Konoha Genin could somehow help them. But then he remembered the woman's immense speed, and how she could easily keep up with one of their Jounin. They had to keep running. Soon.

But before Sasuke could think of any plan to free Naho, the giant snake reappeared. It was so fast that Sasuke barely realised it was there. In one bite, it swallowed one of the Konoha Genin alive. The other two instantly panicked and let go of Naho.

Naho managed to stumble away from them, the net still wrapped around her. Sasuke came to cut her free, and instantly dragged her away.

"This is our chance. We need to run."

"But…" Naho stared at the giant snake. It had caught another Genin, gulping him down while he desperately tried to get a hold of anything that would save him from getting swallowed.

She could barely breath. The air she sucked it didn't seem to reach her lungs.

"Naho!" Sasuke was yelling at her.

"We can't just leave him," she said, but her voice was no more than a whisper. She couldn't move. She wanted to help. She wanted to run. But she could do neither.

"If that Suna woman catches up, we are done. Do you understand that?" He was still yelling, shaking her.

She looked into his eyes. He was scared too.

Finally she moved to come with him, but it was too late. The snake came rushing into their direction. It crashed into the branch Sasuke and Naho stood on.

Sasuke jumped up the tree further and spit a fireball at the snake. "Run!" he yelled at Naho while throwing kunai at the snake.

"No, I want to help. Tell me what to do."

He jumped next to her. "Just run. I'll have a better time fighting when I don't have to worry about you."

His words pained her. She didn't want to be a hindrance. "I'm not running." She pressed her lips together, giving him to most decisive look she could manage.

Sasuke's eyes studied her face for just a moment. "Fine, just give me a moment… to think."

They both dodged another attack. The snake was barely tickled by kunai and shuriken, but at least it was slow as well.

Sasuke looked around. "Can you distract it for a moment? I want to check something out." He waited for Naho to nod, then jumped up the trees and was gone.

Naho hadn't imagined that distracting the big animal meant being left alone. She dodged attack after attack from the snake, jumped from tree to tree. And with time, her motions seemed to come more naturally again. Her heart stopped beating in fear. She started to get used to being chased by a giant snake.

"Lure it this way," she eventually heard Sasuke call. "On the forest floor."

Naho did as he said and ran into his direction. He met her to show her the way. The snake not once lost interest in them. It seemed it was still hungry.

It took a while until Sasuke finally signalled Naho to jump up a tree and wait there. "Once I give the signal, burn it."

Sasuke stopped on the forest floor. All around them, a yellow moss grew. Naho thought she'd seen it before, but she couldn't quite figure out where.

The giant snake soon came dashing at him. Sasuke waited until the very last moment before jumping up, yelling, "Now!" at Naho. He formed signs for a jutsu, and a whole storm of fire left his mouth. Naho joined in with her own fire jutsu.

The moss around the snake caught fire with the first spark that fell on it, turning the forest floor beneath Naho and Sasuke into an inferno.

The snake wriggled left and right. It was burning, getting cooked alive. Until eventually, it stopped moving.

"The moss that was in Sakura's guide," Naho noted when Sasuke jumped over to her. He quietly nodded.

The snake's skin opened, like it got cut up from inside. Flames were still burning all around the snake when a person emerged from within its body.

"What's happening?" Naho instinctively grabbed Sasuke's hand. Her eyes were locked on the snake woman from earlier that now stood on top the dead snake, surrounded by flames.

Her face looked like it was melting in the heat. Slowly, it started dripping. Slowly, they realised it was nothing more but a mask. A new face showed, one that was more masculine.

"My I introduce myself? I'm Orochimaru." The voice was much deeper now as well. She was a man.

Orochimaru jumped up, away from the flames and landed next to Sasuke and Naho on the tree branch with ease. "You really killed my poor snake," he said, but there was no hint of sadness visible in his face.

Naho could feel her muscles tensing again. The fear she'd thought she'd overcome was back. And it grew bigger and bigger the longer she looked into Orochimaru's eyes.

The worst part was, she could feel that Sasuke experienced the same.

"Run!" he called at her again.

They both jumped up the big trees. Until suddenly, Sasuke stopped and pulled Naho to him. They stood on top of a branch, their bodies pressed closely against the trunk of the tree. Some leaves from branches around them offered them cover.

Naho covered her mouth, scared her own breathing could give them away.

They could hear the footsteps of Orochimaru. Slowly, he walked up the long branch they were on.

"Playing hide and seek," he smirked. "I have to admit, this has always been one of my favourite games. But you can come out."

Suddenly, Orochimaru had vanished again, was no longer where they'd just seen him through the leaves.

"I found you." He appeared right next to them out of thin air.

Naho dug as Sasuke swung a kunai at him, his eyes glowing red. Another fight between the two ensued.

Naho watched, right until Orochimaru had Sasuke pinned up against another tree trunk. He licked his lips. Naho took out her kunai and threw herself at the weird man from behind.

He turned around to her in less than a second, grabbed her throat. His other hand was going for her neck, just like he'd done with Rei.

Sasuke realised and grabbed his hand before it could reach Naho. Orochimaru smirked.

"You don't want me to kill her too, do you?" His other hand squeezed harder. He couldn't break her neck with only one hand. But he could still strangle her.

Naho gasped for air. Whenever Orochimaru increased the pressure on her throat and neck, the world around her went black for a second.

"But I'm afraid she's in the way. I need to have a moment with Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru calmly said, and flung Naho towards the forest floor.

Naho crashed down all the way to the ground. Trees creaked and branches broke on her way as she crashed right through them.

The world around her went black for a moment.

She brushed some leaves off her face as her vision slowly came back, winced. Her whole body hurt. She wanted to get up, but something stopped her, held her back.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke appeared next to her.

She tried moving again. Groans left her throat. A branch was stuck in her shoulder, pierced right through.

"I think I'm stuck…"

Sasuke kneeled next to her to inspect the wound. The branch in her shoulder was still attached to the trunk of a fallen tree.

"We'll have to pull it out. Or rather pull you up. Quick!"

Naho's vision was still blurry. Sasuke grabbed her shoulders, readying himself to pull.

The silhouette of the snake man suddenly appeared behind Sasuke.

"Look out!" she tried to warn him, but it was too late.

The man bit Sasuke in the neck. Naho tried to get up herself, but a sharp pain spread through her shoulder and body.

Sasuke started screaming, the man's teeth still stuck in his skin.

"This is a taste of my power." Orochimaru whispered into Sasuke's ear as he was slowly letting go of him again. "Of the power I can give you, Sasuke. Should you ever choose to follow my path, then there is more of it."

Naho tried to push herself up again, stopping halfway through because the pain was too much. She bit her lips so hard she drew blood. Another push. The wooden stick got torn out of her shoulder. She was sitting. Warm blood ran down her arm.

Sasuke fell to his knees next to her. His hand was grasping his neck where he'd been bitten. He was still groaning in pain.

Naho formed signs, and send a fire ball flying towards Orochimaru. She didn't think she hit, but when the fireball was gone, so was he.

"What happened?" she asked Sasuke, one hand pressed on her own shoulder.

Sasuke didn't answer. His body was trembling.

Another sharp pain spread through Naho, this time, it was in her lungs. She coughed. It felt like needles pierced her ribs.

"Sasuke, get up, please." She tried to pull him up with her as soon as her own body allowed it, but he wouldn't stand. Naho sank down next to him. Waves of pain flooded her body. "What are we going to do?" she asked, but he didn't answer.

The forest around them was silent. It seemed that Orochimaru was gone. Or maybe he was watching them from somewhere, she didn't know.

"Sasuke, we have to go," she tried again.

His body was still trembling, his throat still produced deep groans. It pained Naho to see him like that. It scared her. Eventually, he fell over and collapsed on the forest floor.

Naho leaned over him. Panic spread in her.

"Sasuke, please. Talk to me," she begged. "Please." Three black dots showed on Sasuke's skin, close to where Orochimaru had bitten him. It looked like a seal, but Naho didn't know what it meant. She didn't know what was wrong with him.

"Please, tell me what to do." Slowly, the hope in her died that Sasuke would get better any time soon. If anything, he seemed to get worse.

She looked around again, but there was nothing more than trees. A tiger roared in the distance. Naho sniffed. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Please, Sasuke. I'm begging you, get up!" she cried at him, shook him. Nothing. "What should I do?" she asked herself. "What should I do?" She had no answer to her own question. All she knew was that they couldn't stay there.

* * *

The Chuunin exams drove Naruto to do something he hadn't done in months. It felt wrong and unjust to him that everyone was now talking and fawning over Sasuke again, only because he participated in the exams. Naruto had accomplished the same missions as Sasuke, had gone through the same training. The only difference was that he had been given a monster, while Sasuke was given better eyes. He understood that was a fact neither him, nor Sasuke, nor Kakashi could change. But he was there too. He wanted to be seen. So he ended up being on his way to the Hokage building, with buckets full of paint.

Naruto wasn't proud of playing pranks. He'd never been. But it got the job done. It got him attention. And in all this boredom he now experienced, a boredom without training and friends and missions, he wanted _someone's _attention. Whoever that someone would be.

Naruto sneaked up all the way to the windows of the Hokage's office. When he saw the office was empty, he started painting the windows.

He stopped when he heard someone on the roof and decided to have a look. He didn't want to be caught before finishing his masterpiece. The voices turned out to be the Hokage and one of their Jounin, one he'd seen every now and then with Kakashi, Genma. Naruto was hanging at the wall of the building using chakra and carefully glanced at them over the edge of the roof.

Another shinobi suddenly appeared next to the two, and Naruto quickly duck his head. He already thought he'd been caught, but apparently the man hadn't paid attention.

"Lord Hokage!" He was almost yelling, and the tone of urgency in his voice caught Naruto's attention. "We've been reported serious problems with team 17. Their Jounin guardian, Hayate Gekkou, apparently he's been killed. Another team found –"

The Hokage silenced him. "This is not the right place to discuss such matters. Follow me."

Naruto could hear them leave together, but he was eager to know where they were going. He had to know. Team 17 was Sasuke and Naho's team.

"Watcha doing there, brat?"

The voice appeared behind him so suddenly that Naruto unintentionally stopped the chakra flow to his hands and feet and fell all the way down to the roof beneath him. He looked up into the Jounin's face, who was now hanging at the wall himself.

"Eavesdropping on the Hokage." He wanted to keep scolding Naruto for it, until he noticed the paint brush in Naruto's hand and the paint in his hair. He grabbed the brush from him, sighing. "I can't picture Kakashi putting up with kids like you. I'd have gone crazy."

Naruto ignored what he was saying. "What happened to team 17? That shinobi right now said something bad happened. Are they okay?"

"Eh? I don't know what you are talking about. I didn't hear anything. And neither did you." He was casually chewing on a needle while talking.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! They are my friends, tell me!"

Genma brushed over Naruto's cheek, leaving a big brushstroke of red paint. "Go home, Naruto. Even if there was something going on in the Forest of Death, there's nothing you could to about it." He kept the brush and jumped off the roof.

Shortly after, Naruto was knocking on Sakura's window. He didn't really want to talk to her parents again, nor did he want them to know of his plans, so he chose the ninja way through the window. It was something Sakura not quite appreciated though, and she greeted him with one of her punches.

"What are you doing in front of my window, you idiot? What if I had been changing or something?" she yelled at him as Naruto entered without invitation. "What are you doing?" She pushed him right back out. "Only Sasuke-kun is allowed in my room!"

"Actually, I'm here to talk about Sasuke. And Naho too," Naruto said in one of his more serious tones, so Sakura allowed him inside after all.

She wondered why there was paint all over his face, but then listened as Naruto told her what he'd overheard at the Hokage building. Sakura had a concerned look on her face, but still didn't agree with Naruto's suggestion.

"You can't be serious," she said. "We can't go into the Forest of Death. It's forbidden. Haven't you seen all the signs telling you to keep out?"

"Well, obviously it's dangerous in there for most people. But we are shinobi! It can't be too bad if the Chuunin exams take place in there."

"But Naruto, we are not part of the exams. We aren't allowed to go there. What if Sasuke and Naho get into problems because of us?"

"But what if they already are having problems? A Jounin doesn't just get killed. If you and I were on a mission with Kakashi-sensei and someone or something was strong enough to kill him, wouldn't you be scared? We have to find them! And if they are alright after all, we can still leave."

Sakura was considering his words, but still wasn't convinced.

"Just think of this as a little training trip. We can defeat some giant tigers or something in there and search for Sasuke and Naho. If they are doing alright, we'll leave again. If not, I'm sure they'll be glad to see us."

"But even if they are in trouble, if a Jounin got killed then… there isn't anything we could do either. We should let the Hokage handle it."

"We don't even know if the Hokage is doing anything! They warned them that people could die during the exams. We are a team, Sakura! We have to make sure they are alright. I'm going, whether you join me or not."

Sakura sighed. "Alright, fine. It's not like I could let you go alone."

A smile formed on Naruto's lips. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Come on, Sasuke. _Please, _walk!" Naho was supporting Sasuke, dragging him along the forest floor. He was groaning, obviously in much pain. But Naho didn't care. She couldn't. They had to get away from that crazy person.

Sasuke stumbled and fell to the ground. Naho did her best to catch him, but she almost fell over with him. "Stand up," she said, her voice almost a whisper. She was terrified of that Suna shinobi coming back. She didn't know what she would do if he did.

But Sasuke didn't get up. He was too weak, barely conscious.

Naho somehow managed to pull him onto her back. Her shoulder ached as his weight pressed onto the fresh wound. He was too heavy for her. She could barely move forward. She felt dizzy, like she herself was going to break down soon.

There was a hollow tree trunk. She carried Sasuke in there, hoping it would hide them from any possible pursuers. She laid him down on the ground. Sasuke's eyes were closed, but his muscles still twitched uncontrollably while he took heavy breaths.

"What should I do?" she asked again, hoping Sasuke would answer. But of course, he did not. She looked at her own shoulder next. There was blood everywhere. But maybe the blood made it look worse than it really was, she told herself. The wound wasn't necessarily big, but it kept bleeding, and Naho knew she'd had to stop it somehow.

More and more cold sweat formed on her forehead.

They'd lost their backpacks and most of their proviant during the fight. But Naho and Sasuke still wore some essentials on their bodies, hidden in small bags or pockets. So she took one of the bandages and did her best to wrap it around her own shoulder as tightly as possible. It didn't take long until the bandage was stained red. She took the second one that was Sasuke's and pressed it onto her shoulder.

Naho still felt the cold sweat on her forehead. It was a weird feeling. One she'd never experienced before, and she could only guess that this was what blood loss must feel like. She felt sick, dizzy, weak. Tears filled her eyes again. She wanted this feeling gone. It scared her.

She lay down next to Sasuke, putting her feet up against the tree, while still pressing onto the wound. Her other hand found the chocolate bar Naruto had given her in her pockets. She ripped it open with her mouth. _Breathe. Just breathe. _She told herself over again, taking deep breaths in between bites. _Sh_She told

Naho didn't know for how long they lay there. The sun was not visible through the thick canopy of leaves, but there was still daylight. She checked her shoulder, feeling that the bleeding had mostly stopped.

She sat up. The world around her was spinning for just a moment after the sudden movement, but her vision soon got clear again. At least she didn't feel like throwing up anymore.

She looked at Sasuke. He was still sleeping, or rather, unconscious. A big frown was on his forehead. His head occasionally twitched left or right.

Naho put her palm on his forehead. He was hot, feverish. She looked outside into the woods. Everything was quiet. She couldn't be sure if there was still someone after them, but it seemed like they were safe for now. Though Naho knew they were going nowhere if Sasuke wouldn't wake up. And they had to get out of the forest. They couldn't continue this exam.

"Nao-chan." Sasuke's voice surprised her. It also surprised her that he would suddenly use -_chan_. He never used any honorifics.

"Yes?" She looked at him with great expectations, but his eyes were still closed.

He grabbed her hand, tightly held onto her. "Please, don't go." He was still feverish, and Naho wasn't quite sure if he was awake or not. "Don't die."

"I'm not dying. And I'm not going anywhere either." She put her other hand on his to reassure him, but Sasuke was already lost in another nightmare.

More time passed and eventually, Naho realised that maybe she did have to leave him. She had to get help, best before night came. Because Sasuke didn't seem to wake up, and she still had a hole in her shoulder.

Naho collected grass and leaves to cover him with. Once she thought he was well hidden, she left him to return to the entrance.

* * *

It wasn't really hard to break into the Forest of Death. A big wall and barb wire surrounded it, but that was mostly to keep any monstrously large animals inside, not to keep nosy Genin outside. It was easy enough for Sakura and Naruto to walk up the wall like Kakashi had taught them and jump down again on the other side.

The harder part started when they were inside, and had no idea how to track down their two teammates. But since they knew which entrance Naho and Sasuke had started at, and that the goal was to reach the tower in the middle, they figured the best idea was to focus on that line between entrance and tower.

They ran for a short while, until they suddenly heard someone calling out to them.

"N-Naruto!" It was a girl's voice, but it wasn't Naho.

They looked around, and soon found Hinata and her team, sitting at a little camp together with their hostage.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked them.

"We should ask you that question," Kiba said, narrowing his eyes at them. "You don't even participate in the Chuunin exams."

"Well, we uh…" Sakura and Naruto both stared at the hostage, worried that he would step up, reveal his identity, and throw them out of the forest again. But he kept quiet. "We are on a mission, but, ya know, it's secret," Naruto explained.

Sakura suddenly realised how lucky they had been to meet Team 8. They were trackers, all of them. If someone could help them find Sasuke and Naho, it had to be them. But that also meant revealing what they came for, and the worry remained that the shinobi watching them would intervene, stop them. Still, she asked if they could talk to one of them in private, and both Hinata and Kiba walked a few steps with them.

Sakura and Naruto could feel the hostage's eyes on them, but he still kept quiet.

"Please!" Naruto begged once Sakura had explained their situation and Kiba looked at them with the biggest 'we-are-not-getting-involved-in-this'-face he could make.

"I guess I could look around a bit," Hinata said.

"I'm sure Shino would want to search for them too. After all, his cousin is on their team," Sakura noted.

Kiba sighed. "I swear, if we get into trouble because of you or lose our hostage…"

"Thank you!" Naruto yelled at both of them before Kiba was even done talking.

They let Shino in on their plans. Their hostage still didn't know what was going on, but Shino sending his bugs on a mission and Hinata activating her Byakugan surely gave him some hints.

Together they moved further towards the entrance that Sasuke's team had started at.

"By the way, why were you guys sitting around so close to the entrance?" Naruto asked on the way.

"Our plan is to wait until tomorrow morning when most of the fighting is done already, and then sneak to the tower before the first sunrays," Kiba said.

"Huh, taking the coward approach, I see," Naruto teased him.

"It's not cowardice, it's called having a plan!" Kiba threw back at him.

"Guys, quiet," Hinata said. "I spotted something ahead."

"Naho and Sasuke?" Naruto excitedly exclaimed. They all came to a stop.

Hinata put a finger in front of her lips and shook her head. "Konoha Anbu."

"Anbu? Why would they be here?" Sakura asked, but the others were interested as well. They decided to go and check it out.

Hinata's Byakugan saw something else, and she immediately froze. She reached for Kiba's hand to hold him back. "Wait! Let's not go."

"Why not? Just peeking a bit from afar won't hurt," Naruto said.

Kiba stared back at his teammate. She didn't manage to look into their eyes but tightly held onto his hand. "What happened?" he asked, worried. "What did you see?"

"I…" Hinata's eyes glanced at Shino for only a second before they stared back down at the ground. She couldn't get herself to tell them.

Shino stepped up to her too. The short glance she'd thrown at him didn't slip his attention. "Tell me," he said.

Hinata let go of Kiba again to nervously pull at her own fingers. "I uh… There are two corpses with the Anbu." She looked up again, in the direction she'd spotted them at. "They are taking them away."

"What?" Naruto now jumped back to her as well. "Who are they? Who died?"

Shino calmly said, "I assume one of them is my cousin."

Hinata nodded. "I'm sorry, Shino."

"Who's the other one?" Naruto grabbed Hinata's shoulders in a sense of urgency. "Who else is dead?"

"I…" It irritated her that Naruto was so close all of a sudden, but even more so did his pushiness. Kiba pulled him away from her almost immediately. "Um… I don't know who it is exactly. Their hostage, I guess."

Naruto's muscles relaxed again, at least slightly. "Then we need to find them, now. They have to be nearby."

"Calm down, Naruto," Sakura said before he could jump off again.

"Yeah, what's with you? If Shino's cousin is really dead you ought to give him a moment," Kiba complained.

"No, Naruto is right. If she's really dead there's nothing I could do about it. So let's move." Like that, Shino was the first one to continue their search.

They approached the spot Hinata had seen the Anbu at. They were gone, and so were the two dead bodies Hinata had seen. A puddle of blood was all that was left.

They searched for any hints on Sasuke and Naho's whereabouts.

Hinata slowly approached Shino, who was standing a bit further away, looking into the forest around them.

"Maybe I mistook her. Or maybe she was just wounded. I mean, I'm not really sure if…"

Shino shook his head. A swarm of beetles flew across the forest floor in search for a new home. He knew she was gone.

"Here, I found something!" Kiba excitedly exclaimed. "It's a backpack."

"That's Sasuke's!" Sakura immediately recognised it. She wanted to take it, hold onto it, but Kiba didn't give it to her.

"Akamaru can follow the scent," he explained and let his ninja dog sniff the backpack. Akamaru answered with a woof and vanished behind two bushes.

The dog let them further into the forest and eventually stopped in front of a big tree. It took everyone a moment to spot Sasuke lying in the hollow trunk, covered by leaves.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura ran to him as soon as she realised it was him. She fell to her knees next to him, took the leaves off. Flashbacks of their mission in the Land of Waves appeared in her head, of the time she thought he was dead. "Sasuke!" she called him again, but he didn't wake up.

She checked his breathing and heartbeat, relieved to find he was still alive.

"Where is Naho-chan?" Naruto looked around, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Sasuke-kun, wake up. What happened?" Sakura gently shook his shoulder. Again, there was no reaction. She spotted blood on his shirt, but it wasn't his.

Naruto jumped up some trees, calling Naho's name, which caused Kiba to go after him and pick a fight with him. Team 8 didn't want the whole forest to know their position.

"I haven't found her yet," Hinata said, still scanning the surroundings with her Byakugan. It offered vision into all directions, reaching many kilometres. But to find one specific person, one still had to actively search for that person. Otherwise the brain simply disregarded most of the information the eyes send to it.

"Akamaru seems to have found another track. We could follow it… _quietly,_" he yelled the last word at Naruto.

"You aren't exactly quiet yourself, ya know?" Naruto said, unimpressed. But then agree that they should follow the track to find Naho.

They decided to split up. Naruto and Kiba left to search Naho, while Hinata and Shino stayed with Sakura and their hostage. Kiba could tell that Hinata had wanted to join them too, but she was too shy to ask.

Sakura put a cold, wet bandage on Sasuke's head. His face was hot. But apart from a weird seal on his neck, she couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. She sat next to him, held onto his hand. There was no regret in her that they broke the rules, broke into the forest. Naruto had been right.

* * *

Not far away, Tayuya's team searched the forest for Sasuke and the girl with him. Orochimaru had given them their location, and Orochimaru had given them orders: kill the girl, and strengthen the hate in Sasuke.


	21. The Chuunin Exams - Part 3

Tayuya was sitting on one of the big tree branches, her two teammates next to her. They observed the group of Genin sitting on the forest floor beneath them. They hadn't noticed them yet.

"Which one are we supposed to kill?" Jirobo's gaze switched between Sakura and Hinata.

"How would I know? I say the one with the pink hair, she's sitting closest to Sasuke after all. If in doubt, we could also just kill both."

"The problem is…" His gaze fell on the hostage sitting between Shino and Hinata. "We can't openly attack as long as that Konoha shinobi is here."

"I know that, fatso," Tayuya spit back at him. "This stupid village. Doesn't even let you kill anyone during the exams. And in Kiri they _make _you kill others." A smirk formed on her lips. "What do you think master Orochimaru would say if I killed you, huh? You think he'd bat an eye?"

He ignored her last comment and simply answered, "You shouldn't call me fatso. Behave like a girl for once."

Tayuya gave him her best manly grunt and spread her knees some more to make sure every last bit of elegance in her sitting position was gone. "Let's have our newbie here kill her. Jirobo and I will lure the hostage away, maybe those other two as well. Wait till there's a safe distance before you attack her."

"Why me?" Dosu asked.

Tayuya laughed, until Jirobo reminded her that she'd blow their cover if she kept being that loud. "Think of it as an initiation ritual. We gotta make sure you are worthy enough to join the Sound Five."

"Stay with him, I can handle that Konoha shinobi myself." Jirobo stood up, his eyes still focused on the shinobi beneath them.

"What? Why would you want me to stay with him? I'm not a babysitter. Look at that little bitch down there. You think the little princess will fight back so hard that he'll need me?"

"Watch your language," Jirobo calmly said. "At least that girl down there looks like she brushed her hair today. But I'm just thinking about the mission. Master Orochimaru's orders are most important here. You stay here and make sure he doesn't mess up. Or the two of us will suffer for it as well."

Tayuya crossed her arms, obviously annoyed at the situation she found herself in. "Just make sure you don't accidentally kill her before Sasuke wakes up," she snapped at Dosu. "It shouldn't be long now. And Master Orochimaru wants him to witness her last breath."

"Why?" Dosu asked. "Why does he need to see her die?"

She grinned again. "Are you questioning the orders we received from Master Orochimaru? You really must be new."

* * *

Naho moved fast but carefully. She didn't want to run into another team, but she also knew she had to hurry up. Her mind was still with Sasuke, hoping he would be fine.

She came to a sudden stop. Something told her she was being watched. She looked around, thick bushes and vines all around her made it hard to spot threats. A rustling eventually told her on which direction to focus. A tiger jumped out of its hiding spot, right at her.

Naho jumped away. She grabbed a kunai, but her body was full of hesitation. She didn't want to hurt the animal. Still the tiger thought differently about her and lashed out again.

Naho spit a fire jutsu in its direction, hoping she could simply scare it away. It seemed to work and the tiger retreated into a safer distance. It still circled around Naho, its eyes focused on her. Naho used another fire jutsu. Again, the tiger was irritated, and eventually chose to turn away from her.

She was relieved, but then the pain in her lungs returned. It was sharp, so sharp she couldn't stand straight anymore.

The tiger noticed the change in its prey, and immediately returned. Slowly, it walked up to her again, testing the waters.

Naho gasped for air, coughed. She saw the tiger readying its muscles for another jump at her, its tail high in the air. But the pain made it impossible to move. She closed her eyes, scared of the next thing she would feel. The claws and teeth of the tiger that would rip her apart.

But they never came. Instead, Naho could feel someone wrapping his hands around her, carrying her away to safety.

When she opened her eyes again, she looked at two bushy brows and a bowl cut.

"Are you hurt?" Tenten's face appeared next to Lee's. "Neji spotted you when he was scouting the area. I was a bit worried since you were here all alone."

As soon as Lee let her down again, Naho wrapped her arms around Tenten and gave her a big hug. She pulled back again. "You need to help me, please. Sasuke is hurt, I had to leave him."

Tenten spotted the blood on Naho's arm. "Your shoulder! What happened? We need to treat this."

"It's not that bad. Please, Sasuke really needs help."

"Where's Rei?" Lee asked. He knew her from the Academy days.

Naho lowered her head, covered her eyes with a hand. "Let's just go to Sasuke. Please." Her voice cracked as she spoke.

Tenten looked at Lee and Neji. Neji rolled his eyes and sighed, but Lee was ready to help.

"We are on a mission," Neji reminded them.

"And Sakura-chan's friend needs our help," Lee declared by raising his hand high into the air, ready to march to Sasuke.

Neji sighed again, knowing there was no use arguing against both his teammates. He'd been outvoted once again.

They weren't on their way back to Sasuke for long when Naruto and Kiba came running at them. Naruto happily waved soon he spotted Naho.

"Naruto!" Naho ran up to him. "Sasuke, he's… he's hurt. We have to get back to him!"

Naruto smiled back at her. "It's fine, we already found him. Sakura is with him."

She looked at him with big eyes. They slowly filled with tears, and suddenly. Naho started crying. She stood there, rubbing tears from her eyes while loudly sobbing.

"N-naho?!" Naruto took a step backwards, irritated by the sudden outburst of tears. "What happened? Are you hurt? Oh, your shoulder, does it hurt?"

Naho shook her head. She tried but couldn't stop sobbing. "I'm so glad. I thought I was all alone. I didn't know what to do."

Tenten stepped up to her and Naruto and put a reassuring hand on Naho's shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be fine now."

"Tenten." Neji threw a dark glance at Tenten, which told her all she had to know. He wanted to continue their mission.

"Will you be fine without us? Our traps got destroyed earlier, so we still need to set up new ones."

Naruto showed her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I'll protect her." Naho was still sobbing and brushing away tears next to him. He carefully put his hand on her shoulder like Tenten had just done and gave her two awkward pats.

"No reason to cry. I'm still here too, so you don't have to rely on that idiot Naruto to protect anyone," Kiba said in a joking manner. It was his way to try and lighten the mood again.

Naho nodded, and together, they made their way back to the others.

* * *

The ground beneath Hinata and Shino started shaking. Hinata instinctively held onto the tree trunk next to her to not lose balance. She activated her Byakugan, searching for enemies.

But before she could find anything, a smoke bomb dropped between them. The smoke didn't hinder her eyes, so she could see it clearly when a shinobi landed next to her. His hand snatched the tag from her pockets. She pushed chakra into her hands, ready to stop him. But suddenly realised something was holding onto her feet. They didn't move. Hinata fell over trying to walk with feet that wouldn't budge. Their hostage ran away with the new holder of his tag.

When the smoke dissolved again, their hostage was gone, and Hinata and Shino's feet were stuck in the ground.

"Are you alright?" Sakura ran over to them and helped freeing their feet from the earth jutsu.

Hinata scanned the surroundings in great hurry. "I'm so sorry, Shino," she repeated over and over while searching for what she'd lost.

"Don't worry," Shino said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I have a bug on our hostage. A female bug to be precise. This male one here will follow her scent." A bug crawled up his hand and took to the air.

Hinata turned to Sakura. "Will you be fine? We have to get him back or Kiba will be really angry."

"Yes, of course," Sakura instantly answered. There was an ocean of doubts in her, and she really didn't want them to leave her alone with an unconscious Sasuke, but those doubts she tried to hide. "Go get your hostage back. I'll wait here."

And with that, Hinata and Shino were gone.

Sakura's eyes ran over her surroundings before she went back to Sasuke. Everything was quiet. Still, she took out a kunai and held onto it tightly.

The feeling of being watched stayed with Sakura. Not long after Hinata and Shino had left, Sakura's feelings proved correct and shuriken flew through the air, straight at her. She blocked them with her kunai.

Sakura left the small tree cave and found a shinobi with the Sunagakure headband standing in front. Half his face was covered with bandages.

"We don't have a hostage. You can leave again," she told him, knowing he wasn't supposed to attack them if it was not to accomplish the mission. His appearance creeped her out.

"Oh, right. It looks like your teammate is hurt." He nodded towards Sasuke and approached Sakura. "Can I help you somehow?"

Sakura raised her kunai. "Freeze! I don't need any help. My teammates will be back soon. I want you to leave."

Instead of turning away again, Dosu charged at Sakura. Sakura defended herself, dodged his hits, but didn't get to counterattack. She didn't see a reason in this fight. All she wanted was for that stranger to stop and leave.

"I told you, we don't have a hostage," she said again.

But the shinobi didn't seem to care. He kept attacking her.

A device on his arms produced a high-pitched sound. It hurt her ears, so much it left her unable to move. She pressed her hands onto them, but the sound was too distracting.

Dosu punched her in the face, then threw her to the ground. He started kicking her once she was down.

Sakura didn't understand. "What do you want?" she gasped. He didn't answer.

There was a small opening when Sakura noticed that he was looking at Sasuke. She formed signs and a spurt of water hit Dosu, pushing him back. They went back to close-combat, but this time Sakura was more prepared. They exchanged hits until Dosu activated his sound wave again. This time, Sakura used another water jutsu to cover her own ears.

Dosu stopped for a moment. "Not bad," he admitted. The water dampened the sound. "But you can't fight if you need to hold your hands over your ears."

Sakura dodged a bit, but he soon caught her again, smashed her down to the ground once more. He held her down with his foot while his eyes once again looked at Sasuke.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked again. She couldn't get up anymore. He was stronger, and the sounds he produced numbed her whole body when she didn't use her water jutsu.

He didn't say anything, didn't hit her anymore. He only pressed her down and waited.

Another shinobi jumped down from the treetops and landed next to Dosu. Sakura didn't know her, but she could see that the girl wore the symbol of Sunagakure as well.

"What are you doing? Make sure she looks beat up alright." Tayuya kicked Sakura in the sides. She slowly walked circles around them, looking down at Sakura. "You are pretty ugly, you know that? Just what is that forehead."

"You said Sasuke would wake up any minute. What if the others come back?"

She slapped Dosu's back. "Relax. I don't know if I can bare another deadhead in our team. Let's just have some fun with Miss Beauty here. You are being too nice to her."

Tayuya tackled Dosu away from Sakura to get on top of her herself. She grabbed Sakura's hair, and pulled her up.

"Yikes, is that flower shampoo I am smelling? Bad enough that you were born with pink hair."

Sakura grabbed her wrist, trying to get her to let go. Tayuya only kicked her again and grabbed tighter onto her hair.

Sakura still couldn't figure out what was wrong with these people. But maybe it had something to do with Sasuke. Their eyes kept glancing at him. He was still lying in the little tree cave, unconscious. Pearls of sweat ran down his forehead. She couldn't let them get to him, whatever their plan was.

Her hand found a kunai, and she cut the first thing she knew would free her: her hair.

Tayuya had not anticipated that move at all, and the moment it took her to regain her composure was enough for Sakura to whirl around and slice. The blade connected to Tayuya's shoulder and arm, leaving a superficial but bleeding cut.

"You little bitch…"

"Tayuya," Dosu said. She didn't hear him. Or she chose not to hear him. She threw herself on top of Sakura again. The two girls wrestled on the forest ground until Tayuya was sitting on top of her, dealing blows. One after the other, with a burning passion in her eyes. "Tayuya!" he said again, louder this time. "I think he's waking up."

Dosu's last sentence finally got Tayuya's attention. She quickly let go of Sakura to have a look at Sasuke. He was slowly rolling left and right. A red pattern spread on his skin, all over his body. And eventually, he sat up.

Tayuya took a kunai and gave it to Dosu. "Kill her. Now." She spit at Sakura, who was still on the ground, and vanished in the tree branches.

Dosu had a bad feeling about all this.

Sakura slowly pushed herself up. Her lip was bleeding, her cheek changing its colour to a deep blue. Her head was spinning.

Dosu grabbed her, rose the kunai to her throat.

"What are you doing?"

He froze as he suddenly heard Sasuke's voice right behind him. He hadn't even realised that he'd gotten up already.

Sasuke grabbed Dosu's arms, pulled them away from Sakura. "Sakura, did he hurt you?" He didn't wait for her answer before putting a foot on Dosu's back to push forward while yanking his arms backwards.

Dosu screamed. Bones broke. Sasuke kept pulling.

"Sasuke, stop!" Sakura couldn't believe he had just broken the boy's arms without even flinching. The look on his face irritated her. It felt strange.

He stopped but didn't loosen his grip just yet. "Why? I'll _kill _him for what he did to you. I'll avenge you. Just like I'll avenge my family." His grip tightened around Dosu's wrists, so much that the sound of breaking bones was heard once again, and only overshadowed by Dosu's new screams. "This new power. I can feel it running through my veins. With this power, I will avenge all of them."

"Stop it, Sasuke. Please!" Sakura grabbed his arm, pressed herself against him. She couldn't look into his eyes. They scared her. So she buried her face in his shoulder. "Please, stop this. Don't kill him."

Sasuke let go of Dosu, who fell face-first to the ground, unable to break his fall.

Sakura watched the red pattern on Sasuke's skin vanish. He was staring at his hands, trembling.

"What happened?" he gasped at Sakura. "Why are you here?"

Sasuke's eyes were the same black eyes again that Sakura knew so well. He stared at his own hands, irritated at what had just happened, at his own actions, and at his power.

"Where is Naho?" he asked, as his memories started to come back to him. To turned around, his eyes searching for her.

"Naruto is looking for her. She wasn't here when we found you. What happened?" Sakura's eyes were still on Dosu, who was cowering on the ground.

"Naruto is here too?" Sasuke didn't quite understand. But he saw the worry in Sakura's eyes. So he chose not to tell her about Orochimaru. About the death of the others. "We need to find her," he said instead. But he could only take a few steps before another sharp pain spread through his body, originating from the seal on his neck.

Tayuya was observing everything from her hiding spot, clenching at the fact that Sakura was still alive. "Useless," she hissed and grabbed a kunai. It left her in a peculiar situation. Orochimaru had ordered them to kill the girl that was with Sasuke. But she also knew he didn't mean for Sasuke to be hurt in the process. And Tayuya was convinced that he would end up hurt if he started a fight with her over the pink-haired girl. She had to be fast.

She sneaked around them in the treetops, searching for a good angle. The kunai she threw they dodged, just like she anticipated. The two Genin searched for her, their attacker, but Tayuya still had a plan. Little bells were attached to the kunai she'd thrown down to them, and a string allowed her to move them, get them to chime. She played a little song. It was a genjutsu transmitted via sound waves. A weak one, but it would do, Tayuya figured. Orochimaru had forbidden her to bring her flute. He'd ordered her to hold back her powers, pretend she was a mere weakling. It pissed her off.

Tayuya jumped down at Sakura, another blade in her hand. Her and Sasuke were both paralysed by her jutsu.

"Sasuke!" Naruto's voice echoed through the forest. His voice was enough to mess with Tayuya's sound-based genjutsu, and in the last moment, Sasuke managed to pull Sakura away from the attack.

Tayuya spit at the ground. There were three new Genin standing in front of her, backing up Sasuke and the girl. One of them seemed wounded. She was ready to kill all of them. All except for Sasuke.

But then she heard yet another team, and Hinata and Shino returned together with their hostage. Tayuya bit her lip, but then decided to grab Dosu, who was still cowering on the ground, and leave.

"You… you knew, didn't you? You fled as soon as you saw him waking up," Dosu said once they came to a stop in a safe distance.

"Hmph. There are certain things you learn when working for Orochimaru." She looked down at Dosu, who was holding back groans of pain. "What a pain in the ass. Did you have to go and get both your arms broken? We still need to make it to the next round."

It didn't take long until Jirobo returned. Tayuya was not happy.

"Why did those brats come back with the hostage?" she yelled at him.

"They seemed to somehow be able to track him, no matter where I went. Didn't want to risk anything, so I let him go for now. I didn't suspect you two would take that long to kill the girl…"

"You idiot," Tayuya yelled. She pushed past Jirobo, hitting his arm as she passed. "So useless. Both of you. Let's report back for now. Then we still need to find ourselves one of these damn hostages. We need to get to the next round after all."

* * *

Once team 7 was reunited, they set up camp for the night, caught some fish, and talked about their future plans. Sakura disinfected the wound on Naho's shoulder and properly bandaged it, while Sasuke insisted he was fine again. Hinata, Kiba and Shino left them. After all, they had their own exam to pass. Their hostage not once said a word to either Naruto or Sakura.

"We should wait until the sun is up again to go back to the entrance," Sakura said, knowing that with the death of Rei, Sasuke and Naho would be disqualified. No one dared to openly speak Rei's name.

Naho quietly sat next to them at the fire. She only took a few bites of her fish because Sakura told her she had to eat to recover some strength. Sakura's own lip was so swollen from the beating she'd received that every bite hurt.

"But the tower is much closer. Maybe we could just go there," Naruto said before taking a big bite of fish. It was too hot still and he burned his tongue. He was the only one of the three who seemed to have an appetite despite the day's events.

Sakura was about to explain to him how the inner parts of the forest were so much more dangerous than the outer parts. After all, it was the part where most fights would take place. But there was something else bothering her.

"Would you stop staring at my hair?" she snapped at Naruto. "Don't think I don't see you glancing at it all this time!"

"What? Well, sorry, but it just looks so different!"

"'Different', huh? It's fine, you can tell me it looks awful, go on!"

"I'm not saying it looks awful. I just think the long hair fitted your very well!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the two.

A sudden scream echoing through the forest stopped little fight.

Sakura immediately put out their campfire with water jutsu.

"I'll go and have a look," Sasuke said. Naruto wanted to join him, but Sasuke told him to stay. "With Naho and Sakura injured you better stay with them. That fire was probably visible from far away, so they should know our location."

Naruto didn't like being told what to do. And he didn't like that Sasuke chose himself as the one to go and scout. But protecting Sakura and Naho was a good enough reason for him to stay behind.

Sasuke nodded at them and vanished in the dark.

Another scream showed Sasuke the way. His eyes had adjusted fairly well to the darkness around him, yet there was still a lot he couldn't make out. He spotted red hair, so bright it was impossible to overlook. There was a girl sitting on top of a tree, crying. A tiger was climbing up towards her.

Sasuke gave the tiger a kick and followed up with a fire jutsu that had the animal flee.

"Are you okay?" he called up to the girl, but his eyes were focused on his surroundings. He was expecting an ambush.

Nothing happened and the girl on the tree kept crying, her arms wrapped around the tree trunk as though she was scared to fall.

Sasuke jumped up to her. "Hey, you okay?"

The red-haired girl now looked at him. She sobbed, but slowly calmed down. "Did you beat the tiger?"

"I did. What are you doing here?" He spotted the headband of Sunagakure on her forehead. The girl definitely didn't look like a shinobi though, or rather, she didn't behave like one.

"Really?" Her face lit up. She brushed away some tears. "I've lost my teammates. I don't know. Suddenly they were just… gone. And then that tiger jumped at me and tried to make me his dinner. My name is Karin. Who are you?"

She held out her hand to him, but Sasuke didn't shake it. Her sudden talkativeness irritated him. He still wasn't sure if this wasn't an ambush after all.

"Well, good luck." He ignored the girl's attempts to start a conversation and was ready to leave her be. But to his dismay, she jumped at him and grabbed his hand, almost falling down the tree.

"I lost my glasses when I ran away. Please, have you seen them? I'm basically blind without them."

Sasuke's eyes ran over the forest floor. It was too dark to find something like glasses. Still, the girl was holding onto him tightly, her eyes still filled with so many tears they were visible even in the scarce light. He pulled his hand away from her. "Where's the rest of your team? They can help you search."

"I told you. I don't know where they are. They were just gone all of a sudden. Please, don't just leave me here."

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice came closer and closer, calling for him. "Hey, where are you?"

Naruto, Sakura and Naho all came looking for him. They'd been worried. Naruto, missing the kind of suspicious nature so prevalent in Sasuke, immediately invited the girl to stay the night with them once he heard her story. Karin gladly accepted.

She held onto Sasuke tightly as they walked back to their camp, despite him being the one least convinced of her. So tight Sakura pushed Naruto at the two so he could be the one to lead the half-blind girl.

"That fire jutsu you used was pretty cool," Karin said. "Is it the Fireball Jutsu? I mean, it kind of looked like a fireball, a blurry fireball but a fireball. It was definitely fire, right? I could feel the heat."

Sasuke ignored her.

"I'm sorry, I just… I always start babbling when I'm nervous. And I'm pretty nervous. What do I do if I can't find Kabuto again? I don't want to be alone in this forest. But you guys saved me, so thank you very much! You in particular, Sasuke. You really saved my life." It was hard to see in the darkness, but there was a soft blush on her face.

Sakura didn't like where this was going at all. But to her relief, Sasuke was still an impenetrable stone wall when it came to female admiration.

* * *

The next day, they went back to the spot where Karin had been attacked. Sasuke soon found her glasses and gave them back to her. Her face turned all red once she put them on and looked into Sasuke's annoyed eyes. She stumbled a short 'thank you'.

"Karin!" Another shinobi appeared, a hostage was following him. Sasuke's hand instinctively moved to his weapons, but the guy barely showed any interest in him. He walked past him to Karin. "Here you are. I was looking for you everywhere. What happened?"

Karin quickly explained that she'd been attacked by a vicious tiger and that Sasuke was her saviour. She introduced the shinobi as Kabuto.

Meanwhile, Sasuke eyed their hostage. Naruto, Naho and Sakura all stood close to him, observing the scene themselves. And he couldn't help his mind coming up with plans and opportunities to abduct the hostage, claim her, somehow pass the exam after all. But the risk most likely wasn't worth it, not when they would be disqualified anyway.

"I would like to offer you our hostage."

The sentence completely took Sasuke aback and pulled him out of his thoughts. He only managed a short "Eh?", convinced he'd somehow misheard the shinobi.

"I want you to take her. If this exam has showed us anything, then that it is too early for Karin here. And our third member is kind of lost too. She went scouting and hasn't returned since. I don't think us passing is a good idea. But you saved Karin's life. So she's your hostage now."

He handed Sasuke the tag. Sasuke couldn't hold back a grin.

No one thanked the stranger. Sasuke was missing the manners, Naho wasn't thankful at all.

"Aren't you two disqualified anyway?" Naruto eventually asked. "What do you still need a hostage for?"

"If there is a chance we can still pass this, then we have to continue. We can still make it to the tower in time."

Kabuto nodded at Sasuke, and left together with Karin. Karin waved at them, at Sasuke specifically. She really wished she could meet him again.

"But…" Naho's gaze dropped. "Rei's dead. I know we barely knew her. But she was our teammate. And she's dead. We shouldn't be thinking about continuing exams. She's _dead._"

"And where is the point in giving up because of that?" Sasuke sharply replied.

Naho's brows dropped, and for a moment, they thought she was going to cry.

"Why don't we just go to the tower and see what happens? I want to have a look at those who passed," Naruto said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Naruto! I already told you, the further we go, the more traps there are!" Sakura snapped.

"But it's so close. Naho needs medical care, right? And you could use a patch." Naruto thought for a moment, then got an idea. "Hey, how about I just send my Shadow Clones out again? They can run into the traps for us."

The team agreed, and Naruto summoned several Shadow Clones that went to scout the area, a safe distance ahead of them. Whenever one of them triggered a trap or ran into enemies, it would disband, giving Naruto knowledge of their location. The squad then moved around them, dodging anything ahead of them.

One time, Naruto not only received memories, but also a punch in the guts from his clone. He almost stumbled and fell at the sudden pain.

Another time, he found Shikamaru's team. The clone spotted them hiding in some bushes with their hostage. It was almost noon, and whoever didn't make it to the tower by then would be disqualified. Team 7 decided to see why they were hiding.

"Sakura, what happened to your hair?" was the first thing Ino yelled at Sakura, but she quickly put her hands in front of her mouth and looked around, scared someone might have heard her. "And wait, why are you even here?" she whispered.

Sakura touched her hair. The way Ino looked at her made her feel all self-conscious again. Naho had said it wasn't bad, and Sasuke didn't care to comment. It had been easy to persuade herself Naruto simply had bad tastes. "Does it look that bad?"

"I mean… yes. It does."

Naruto nodded in full agreement. "The long hair was definitely better. Why did you cut it again?"

"You…" Sakura punched Naruto. "Are you an idiot?! I was fighting, okay? Where were you during that time, huh?"

"Quiet!" Shikamaru hissed at them. "Do you idiots want to get us killed?"

"Oh yeah, why are you guys hiding here in this bush?" Naruto looked around, but he couldn't find anyone. They were close to the tower though, so maybe their team was simply being careful.

Chouji was munching on a chocolate bar. "There is this red-haired guy up ahead. He and his team are standing right in front of the tower picking up anyone who tries and enter. He already has six hostages with him. So we decided to take a lunch break here instead."

Ino threw a dark glance at him. To her, this was not a lunch break. She wanted to make it to the next round. But both her teammates seemed rather indifferent.

"Six?! Wow, that guy has to be strong." Naruto felt excitement. He wanted to meet this person.

"I think he's the Kazekage's son," Ino said. Her eyes fell on Naruto. "I guess he's what you'd expect from the son of a Kage. Not like our class clown here."

Naruto was about to fight back again, but Shikamaru signalled him to be quiet, followed by a punch from Sakura as reinforcement.

"It's almost noon though. Are you guys fine just sitting around here?" Sakura asked.

"That guy is scary. I'd rather have another bag of chips than go near him," Chouji said.

Shikamaru shifted some body weight to sit down in a more comfortable position. "They are standing right in front of the entry. We saw what happened when another team tried to enter the tower. It wasn't pretty. Maybe we could sneak past while they are fighting another team."

Naruto looked towards the tower. He couldn't spot Gaara. Shikamaru had made sure his team would stay a safe distance away from them.

"Then let's go there," Naruto said, eager to have another look at Gaara. Ino's words still bothered him. He was a Kage's son too. "I can distract them while you guys sneak past. I have the shadow clones. I'll just pretend I'm a whole team."

Ino burst out laughing before again putting a hand in front of her lips. "They'd beat you in less than a second."

"Then I'll run at them with 20 clones. 20 seconds should be enough for us to sprint past, right?"

Chouji opened another bag of chips. "I don't like the idea either. Let's just stay here and have more lunch. We can always try again next year."

Naruto couldn't understand them. He looked at Sakura and Naho, but they both had no desire as well to get to the tower. Sasuke was silent, but at least had a thinking expression on his face. "Why not? I mean, we just need to get inside, right?" Naruto kept urging. There was nothing on the line for him, yet he still wanted to make it to the tower in time. This way, he could prove he was as good as the others. He belonged there.

"Even if you managed to distract them. It's too risky. If they catch one of us, he'll pulpify us," Ino said sharply. But still, she was hoping too they would find a way. She was a clan's daughter. An heiress, she had to make it to the next round.

"The guy can't be that strong," Sasuke crossed his arms in front of him. "I'll go and see for myself."

"But Sasuke…" Ino was torn between admiration and worry. Part of her wanted to believe that Sasuke was stronger than the Kazekage's son. But she had seen what he did to other teams.

"Actually, maybe Naruto is right." Shikamaru sat up straight again to look at the tower that was visible in the distance. "All we have to do is get inside the tower. No one said we had to take the front entrance. While Naruto's clones distract them in front of the entrance, we'll approach from the back. Chouji can punch a whole in the wall and all we need to do is to rush inside. His sand won't reach us as long as he stays at the entrance."

Sasuke wasn't convinced they couldn't just take the front entrance. Shikamaru reassured him that he didn't want to fight the Suna shinobi, so he agreed. Time was running out anyways. The others nodded as well.

"Let's go before we waste more time," Sasuke said. He still had hope that he might pass after all.

Naruto summoned two shadow clones. It was the most he trusted himself to summon without relying too much on the red chakra in his belly. But almost instantly, Ino laughed at him again, pointing out that this wasn't quite the number he had promised. Naruto bit his lips, and summoned another ten clones.

"Four would have been enough, actually," Shikamaru said. "Just use the transformation jutsu so that they think it's another team."

"I'll transform them into all of us plus some back-up. No problem at all!" Naruto said with exaggerated conviction. He had to tell himself he could do it. He formed the sign, nervous. This was the jutsu he had failed at every single test in the Academy. He could already hear his classmates laughing.

"Transformation!" he yelled, and the clones changed shape.

It was quiet for a moment. Then, Ino stepped up to her clone.

"When did you actually learn to properly use transformation jutsu?" For once her voice wasn't mocking him. She was carefully looking at a copy of herself; she liked what she was seeing.

Naruto smiled. A big load was taken off his mind. "I was working hard, you know?"

"All your clones have to do is to distract them while we approach the tower from behind, understood Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto nodded. His smile was already gone again. He wanted to be happy, after all, they all relied on him. But he could feel the red chakra spread in his body. It was like darkness that was overcoming him.

They all circled the tower to approach it from behind. Sasuke dropped a snarky comment on the way, saying he couldn't understand all the fuzz. To him, they should have taken the main entrance. Yet he still followed them.

Once Naruto had deployed his clones and they caught the first signs of fighting, they all started sprinting towards the tower. Chouji arrived first at the wall. Ino made sure he did. With a loud bang, he smashed a whole into the wall big enough for all of them to enter. It wasn't exactly the stealthy way.

Soon, Ino, Chouji and Sasuke were inside. Sakura, Shikamaru and Naho closely followed.

Naruto was sprinting towards it as well, when suddenly, a sharp pain spread through his body. There was a strong pressure on his limbs, growing stronger and stronger. Something squeezed until his bones cracked. Naruto collapsed to the ground, convinced his legs were broken. He was writhing in pain as the scene of Gaara commanding his sand to wrap around his clone's legs played in his head.

"Naruto!" Sakura was calling out to him.

He couldn't get up.

Before Sakura or Naho knew what to do, Sasuke was already running back towards Naruto. He dragged him onto his back, and shortly after, they stood inside the hall of the tower together. Several Chuunin and Jounin stared at them and the whole in the wall with big eyes.

"Are you hurt?" Sakura kneeled next to Naruto as Sasuke let him down.

"That bastard really did try to smash me like a potato," he grinned through the pain that was still lingering in his body.

But there was something else that had been transmitted to Naruto apart from the pain. Naruto could see Gaara standing in front of him. He was looking him straight into his eyes.

"_So you are supposed to be like me?" _

Naruto couldn't make sense of it. Because they both had a Kage as a father? Somehow, he could feel that was not the right answer.

Sakura had to help him stand up. The pain was lingering in his body like a shadow. And so was the red chakra. He hated the feeling. More than he hated the pain from having his bones crushed. With the red chakra came doubts and insecurities, and suddenly, Naruto wondered if his friends had taken advantage of him just now. He had to go through all the pain his clones felt so they could conveniently reach the tower.

"What are you staring at? Are you hurt or not, answer." Sasuke's tone was harsh as usual.

Naruto could feel the anger in him rise. Sasuke had to right to talk down to him like that after all he did for them.

But then Naruto looked at his teammates. There was worry in their eyes. They were worried about him.

_They are worried about themselves_; he could hear a voice inside him. _They are scared of you. _

Naruto put on a smile. "Yes, I'm totally good! See, I told you guys this would be no problem. You can all thank me later for helping you pass your exams!" He was speaking loudly, hoping to silence the weird voice in his head that way.

Another team followed through the hole in the wall. They hadn't been the only ones scared of Gaara. The Kazekage's son entered the tower shortly after. His face was completely expressionless, yet his eyes were focused on Naruto.

_Shukaku. _

The name crossed Naruto's mind when his eyes met Gaara's. He didn't know what it meant. But he didn't care. He had to get rid of this chakra in his body again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hello again!
> 
> First of all, sorry this chapter took so long. Life has been pretty busy! I'm afraid the next three months will stay busy for me, so not sure how long the next chapter will take, but it'll definitely come.
> 
> Anyway! I'd really like for characters to play "bigger" roles and have a bit more to do than they did in canon at parts, so I cut some of the characters here (because there are so many!). Kin, Dosu and Zaku for example only existed to attack Sasuke once and then take part in the preliminaries. Same goes for Sound 5, all they got to do was make sure Sasuke is brought to Orochimaru. That was fine for the anime that relied a lot on fighting scenes, but I don't really enjoy writing those, so I'm trying to avoid them.
> 
> I merged the two sound teams together with the intention of giving them more "on screen" time. I might even have some of them survive the Sasuke rescue arc later on. Also gave them a slightly different personality/background to make them more interesting. But we'll see more of that later on in the story!


End file.
